Border services agency cuts service hours at more ports of entry

By John Chunn

Law360 Canada (July 6, 2020, 2:11 PM EDT) -- The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced on July 3 that it is temporarily reducing service hours at additional land, air, and marine ports of entry (POE) in addition to deferring seasonal opening hours at select POEs. These COVID-19 related measures are temporary and in effect as of July 3. They will remain in effect until further notice.

According to the CBSA press release, the government remains committed to protecting the health and safety of Canadians and reducing the spread of COVID-19 in Canada. The temporary restriction on discretionary travel at the Canada-United States border remains in place.

The CBSA will proceed with the following temporary measures:
  • reducing the hours of operation at 12 land POEs;
  • reducing the hours of operation at eight air POEs;
  • deferring the seasonal opening of one marine POE; and
  • deferring the shift to seasonal hours of operation at one land POE

Economic supply chains and trade will remain open and the CBSA continues to work to ensure that access to goods and services is not interrupted. As such, these changes should not affect commercial traffic.

The CBSA said in its release that it remains committed to ensuring that Indigenous people continue to be able to move within and between their communities and are able to provide and access essential goods and services.