THUNDER BAY – Have you ever thought you need faster notification of issues at the Canadian / United States border?
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) operates in an environment of constant new challenges and a global interconnectedness unimagined by previous generations. It means being prepared for anything — most critically in the case of unexpected events such as an accident, a flood, earthquake, power/network outage, or health and safety issues that could disrupt normal border services.
We recognize that border service disruptions affect the individuals and industry that fuel Canada’s economy. While the CBSA is committed to ensuring border services return to normal operations as soon as possible, we recognize that an important part of providing quality service is keeping our clients informed about what to expect when they arrive at the Canadian border.
To this end, the CBSA is introducing an E-mail Border Alert Service, to notify you when unexpected events cause a significant disruption to normal border services. You can subscribe to the CBSA E-mail Border Alert Service by visiting www.cbsa.gc.ca and selecting Border Alerts. Simply enter your e-mail address in the appropriate field and select “subscribe.”
Beginning December 10, 2012, when a service disruption occurs at any one of our busiest land border ports of entry, a Border Alert will be issued to subscribers, identifying the impacted port and recommending alternate ports of entry. It is important to note that Border Alerts will not be issued in response to normal increases in traffic volumes or planned events (i.e. construction at a port of entry). We will do our best to ensure border services return to normal operations as soon as possible and will notify subscribers when normal operations have resumed.
While the CBSA will endeavor to ensure the timely issuance of Border Alerts, we encourage you to continue to use alternate sources of information to inform your border crossing plans. Subscribers are responsible for ensuring they provide the CBSA with a valid e-mail address and may unsubscribe at any time.
We are confident the E-mail Border Alert Service will improve the timeliness and broaden the reach of the efforts we normally undertake to communicate incidents of this nature. More information about the CBSA Border Alert Service, including the list of applicable ports of entry, can be found on our web site at www.cbsa.gc.ca.