Canada reopens Remote Area Border Crossing permit program

After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) announced it had reopened its Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) program.

The program resumed on Thursday, July 14.

Canoeists in the Boundary Waters who have RABC permits will now be able to enter Quetico Provincial Park without reporting to Canadian border officials.

This is great news for Americans who have cabins on the Canadian side of Saganaga Lake and will now be able to visit their properties for the first time in two years.

Mike Prom, co-owner of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters with his wife Sue, told Minnesota Public Radio’s Dan Kraker that the remote permit suspension had had “a huge impact on us and the Boundary Waters.” Located at the end of the Gunflint Trail, Prom said Voyageur Canoe Outfitters would book about 40 percent of their trips to people bound for the Quetico, and without access to those permits’ groups canceled or changed their route to the BWCAW.

While permit holders don’t have to present themselves at a port of entry, they must declare the goods they bring into Canada.

To participate in the RABC, you must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Some exceptions to that rule apply to children under five, people with medical exemptions from getting vaccinated, and habitual residents of the Northwest Angle who are exempt from public health measures.

The RABC permits cover the Pigeon River and Lake of the Woods. The Canadian shore of Lake Superior, Cockburn Island, Salut Ste. Marie (upper lock system) and the Northwest Angle.

All RABC permits issued in 2022 will be valid until December 31, 2023, and permits can be used for you and qualifying family members.

To apply for an RABC program permit, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of Canada or the United States or have the right of entry under the Indian Act.

Permits can be acquired through the CBSA, but those applying must have proof of vaccination or an accepted medical reason they can’t be vaccinated.

Also, permit holders entering Canada will be exempt from mandatory random testing.