In late December, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced it will be terminating its Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Program come autumn.
The program has existed for decades and allows pre-approved, low-risk travellers—often anglers, boaters, and cabin owners—to cross remote sections of the U.S.-Canada border without having to check in at conventional border crossings. The only conditions are that permit holders pay $30 per application, adhere to customs laws, and declare any goods they’re travelling with.
Covering specific remote locations across Northwestern Ontario, the Lake Superior shore, and the Northwest Angle, the program has not only made travel easier, but has boosted commerce and tourism in these regions. When CBSA paused RABC permits in September 2024, for example, the owner of the Chippewa Inn on the Canadian side of Saganaga Lake, Donny Sorlie, told Cottage Life he was worried about how reduced tourism would impact his business. “Our guests are pretty much all American,” said Donny .
In fact, around 90 per cent of the 11,000 permit holders are U.S. citizens. Still, the CBSA is moving forward with the program’s termination, citing a need to “further enhance border integrity,” according to a media release. Current permits will be valid until September 14, 2026, and after then, travellers will have to check in at the nearest conventional border crossing, or via new telephone reporting sites.
The new telephone reporting sites will be located in areas previously covered by the RABC program, including the Northwest Angle Area, Pigeon River through to and including Lake of the Woods, the Canadian shore of Lake Superior, Sault Ste. Marie (upper lock system), and Cockburn Island. Of the areas affected, Quetico Provincial Park will be one of the most significantly impacted, as many American boaters enter into Canada via the park from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota.
While specific telephone sites have yet to be selected, the CBSA says they will be decided in consultation with Indigenous communities, local businesses, and law enforcement partners. The move, they say, is more aligned with U.S. border procedures for Canadians entering remote areas in the U.S.
“The CBSA operates in a constantly-evolving environment and regularly evaluates programs and operations to ensure a strong and efficient border,” says the release. “[…] Replacing the RABC Program with telephone reporting builds on processes already in place across Canada, where travellers are required to report to the CBSA from designated sites every time they enter Canada. This process ensures a consistent level of security and expectations of compliance for everyone.”
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