More than 30 Canada-US border crossings will have their hours tweaked next year, and two of them are in BC.
On Monday, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) announced that it will be adjusting service hours at 35 land ports of entry across the country starting January 6, 2025.
One of the land border crossings impacted is Cascade, which currently welcomes travellers from 8 am to midnight seven days a week. The new hours have been trimmed to 8 am to 8 pm, and will still be open seven days a week.
The other BC land border crossing that is part of the nationwide adjustment is Nelway, which travellers can currently access from 8 am to 8 pm seven days a week. The new hours will be slightly adjusted to 8 am to 6 pm, seven days a week.
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The CBSA says the change will enhance overall security for both countries, giving the CBSA the chance to use its resources more efficiently by deploying officers at busier ports of entry. This will support the CBSA’s ability to process travellers and goods as well as to manage enforcement activities.
The US is also adjusting service hours at many of its ports of entry, which is set to allow both countries to return inadmissible travellers and goods to the other country, which is more difficult when one side of the border is closed while the other remains open.
“These adjustments are based on an analysis of operational pressures, peak periods, and services required at the ports of entry, to minimize the impacts on border communities,” the CBSA said in a news release.
“Almost all of these ports of entry are processing an average of two or fewer cars or commercial trucks per hour during the hours that will no longer be in operation, and travellers have an alternative border crossing option within a 100 km radius.”
With files from Laine Mitchell