The RABC Program ends Sept. 14, 2026. P&P file photo
Canadian Officials Seek Input For ‘Telephone Reporting Sites’ to Replace RABC Program
By Joe Friedrichs
BOUNDARY WATERS – Officials from the Canadian government are seeking input from various stakeholders on where telephone reporting sites should be located once the Remote Area Border Crossing Program ends later this year.
The Canada Border Services Agency is seeking input from now until Feb. 13 from people who have any reason to cross from Minnesota waters into Canada. Previously, these would have been people who utilized a permit under the RABC Program.
As Paddle and Portage reported last month, the RABC Program will end Sept. 14. As of this date, all travelers entering Canada through remote areas of northern Ontario or from the Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba, must report to the CBSA at a port of entry or a designated telephone reporting site. What remains unclear is how cell phones will be involved in this process of reporting in when crossing international waters from the United States into Canada.
Rebecca Purdy, a senior communications advisor for CBSA, told Paddle and Portage Dec. 19 that “You can use a cell phone,” as part of this new approach in September when it comes to reporting in from a telephone reporting location.
Canadian officials are requesting stakeholders fill out a form and share locations that would be suitable as a telephone reporting site. The form is accessible by clicking here.
“Replacing the RABC Program with telephone reporting builds on processes already in place across Canada, where travelers are required to report to the CBSA from designated sites every time they enter Canada,” CBSA officials said in a statement released Jan. 26. “This process ensures a consistent level of security and expectations of compliance for everyone.”
Paddle and Portage reached out Jan. 27 to Purdy and others with CBSA seeking more information and clarity on how cell phones will be involved with reporting in via telephone once the RABC Program ends in September. We did not immediately hear back. Check back for updates.
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