Customs%20Branch%20%20Smart%20Border%20Action%20Plan%20Update%20%20Transportation%20Border%20Working%20Group

1
Customs Branch Smart Border Action Plan
Update Transportation Border Working Group
June 2003
2
Smart Border

• THE SMART BORDER DECLARATION
• On December 12, 2001, the Canada-U.S. Smart
  Border Declaration was signed.
• The Declaration outlined a 30-point Action Plan
  which provides for on-going collaboration in
  identifying and addressing security risks while
  efficiently expediting the l flow of legitimate
  trade and travel across the Canada-U.S. border.
• CCRA has the lead on following 8 action items
• Item 3 - Alternate Inspection Services
• Item 8 - API /PNR
• Item 10 Ferry Terminals (Marine Benchmarking)
• Item 14 - Harmonized Commercial Processing
• Item 15 - Clearance Away From the Border (Rail
  Pilot Program)
• Item 16 Joint Facilities
• Item 17 - Customs Data Exchange
• Item 18 In-transit Container Targeting

3
Smart Border

• Traveller Processing
• International Airports/Seaports
• API/PNR
• Land Border/TransBorder
• NEXUS
• CANPASS AIR/NEXUS AIR
• Commercial Processing
• International Airports/Seaports
• Container Targeting at Seaports
• ACI
• Land Border/TransBorder
• FAST
• Rail
• Others
• Clearance Away from the Border
• Data Exchange
• Joint Facilities
• Ferry Terminals (Maritime Security)

4
Smart BorderTraveller Processing

• ADVANCE PASSENGER INFORMATION /
• PASSENGER NAME RECORD (API/PNR)
• Canada and the U.S. have agreed to share API,
  and PNR on a case-by-case basis, on high-risk
  travellers destined to either country.
• The Canadian API program was implemented in air
  mode in October 2002.
• The Canadian PNR program is scheduled for phased
  implementation in air mode beginning July 2003.
• The automated sharing of information between
  Canada and the U.S. is scheduled for
  implementation in Spring 2004.
• National Centers of Expertise/Targeting will be
  established in Ottawa and Washington to manage
  sharing of information, to provide greater
  strategic coordination to detect and interdict
  inadmissible people and illegal or controlled
  goods. Full implementation is anticipated for
  spring 2004.
• Also, under Action Item 9, Canada and the U.S.
  have also piloted the co-location of customs and
  immigration officers in Joint Passenger Analysis
  Units to determine if this would improve
  identification of high risk travellers, in
  particular to address terrorism. (CIC has the
  lead for Canada for this item.)

5
Smart BorderTraveller Processing

• NEXUS HIGHWAY
• The NEXUS Highway program allows pre-approved,
  low-risk travellers to use dedicated lanes to
  clear customs without being subjected to the
  usual customs and immigration questioning.
• Operational at following locations
• British Columbia/Washington
• Douglas/Peace Arch (June 2002)
• Pacific Highway/Blaine (June 2002)
• Boundary Bay/Point Roberts (July 2002)
• Ontario/Michigan-New York
• Sarnia, Ont./Port Huron (November 2000)
• Ambassador Bridge Windsor/Detroit (Jan. 2003)
• Peace Bridge Fort Erie/Buffalo (Jan. 2003)
• International Tunnel Windsor/Detroit (Mar.
  2003)

6
Smart BorderTraveller Processing

• To be expanded to
• Niagara Falls Rainbow (late June 2003)
  Whirlpool, and Queenston/Lewiston bridges (July
  2003)
• Lacolle, Quebec/Champlain, New York
  St-Armand-de-Philipsburg, Quebec/Highgate
  Springs, Vermont (August 2003)
• Coutts, Alberta/Sweetgrass, Montana (September
  2003)
• Assessing three other sites (to be completed by
  fall, 2003)
• St. Stephen, New Brunswick/Calais, Maine
• Emerson, Manitoba/Pembina, North Dakota
• Lansdowne, Ontario/Alexandria Bay, New York

7
Smart BorderTraveller Processing

• NEXUS (contd)
• NEXUS Highway membership (as of May, 2003)
• - 42,000 approved applicants
• Washington/British Columbia - 33,200
• Buffalo, New York/Fort Erie, Ontario 4,200
• Detroit, Michigan/Windsor, Ontario 2,500
• Port Huron, Michigan/Sarnia, Ontario 2,100

8
Smart BorderTraveller Processing

• CANPASS AIR
• Initiative for pre-approved, low risk air
  travellers, will be available in Canada only
• Based on biometrics Iris recognition technology
• To be implemented at Vancouver International
  Airport in July 2003 and subsequently at
  international airports in Toronto, Calgary,
  Edmonton, Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa and Winnipeg.
• NEXUS AIR
• Joint Canada/US NEXUS - Air program for air
  travellers
• Same biometric technology as CANPASS Air
• NEXUS - Air will be piloted at Ottawa and Dorval
  International Airports beginning in March,
  2004. Applications should be available February
  2004.

9
Smart BorderCommercial Processing

• CONTAINER TARGETING AT SEAPORTS
• Canadian and U.S. Customs agencies - created
  joint targeting teams at five marine ports in
  2002.
• Canadian ports of Vancouver, Montreal and
  Halifax,
• US ports of Newark and Seattle-Tacoma
• CCRA has participated in several tests of
  targetting processes to enhance targetting and
  examination capabilities.

10
Smart BorderCommercial Processing

• ADVANCE COMMERCIAL INFORMATION
• For high and unknown risk traders, through the
  Advance Commercial Information (ACI) initiative,
  we are working to allign customs processes for
  all commercial shipments by 2005
• Phase 1 Marine (April 2004)
• 24-hour rule
• Automated Targeting Tool
• Regulations for Mandatory EDI
• Phase 2 Other Modes
• Timeframes to be confirmed

11
Smart BorderCommercial Processing

• FREE AND SECURE TRADE
• Free And Secure Trade (FAST) is a joint program
  for pre-approved carriers, drivers
  and importers to expedite the movement of
  low-risk shipments across the border.
• Was implemented December 2002 at the following
  border crossings in
• Pacific Highway, British Columbia / Blaine,
  Washington
• Sarnia, Ontario / Port Huron, Michigan
• Windsor, Ontario / Detroit, Michigan
• Fort Erie, Ontario / Buffalo, New York
• Queenston, Ontario / Lewiston, New York
• Lacolle, Quebec / Champlain, New York
• The Honourable Elinor Caplan, Minister of
  National Revenue, recently announced the
  expansion of 6 additional FAST passage sites by
  December 2003. The are located at
• Rock Island-Stanstead, Quebec/Highgate Springs,
  Vermont
• St. Armand-de-Philipsburg, Quebec/Derby Line,
  Vermont
• Lansdowne, Ontario/Alexandria Bay, New York
• Emerson, Manitoba/Pembina, North Dakota
• North Portal, Saskatchewan/Portal, North Dakota
• Coutts, Alberta/Sweet Grass, Montana

12
Smart BorderCommercial Processing

• FAST (contd)
• We have seen a continual growth in interest in
  the FAST program. FAST Statistics as of April
  2003
• Importers - 13 have submitted PIP Memorandums of
  Understanding (MOU)
• 2 are FAST approved
• Carriers - 227 have submitted PIP Memorandums of
  Understanding (MOU)
• 64 are FAST approved
• Drivers - Over 12,000 drivers have applied
• Over 6,000 approved to-date and almost 3,000
  drivers have received their FAST cards
• Next Steps
• Continued expansion of FAST
• Develop and implement proximity card and
  transponder technology
• Display of driver photo at primary inspection
  line
• Streamlining of existing processes

13
Smart BorderCommercial Processing

• RAIL
• CCRA and CBP working cooperatively with our
  industry partners with a goal of improving
  security and facilitating the flow of trade for
  the movement of goods by rail.
• A Declaration of principles to confirm our roles
  and responsibilities was signed by CCRA and CBP
  on April 2, 2003.
• Working with our industry partners Canadian
  National Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway to
  use detection equipment as the Rail VACIS, we
  will implement a risk management approach for
  targeting and screening rail shipments.
• The Stationary Rail Vacis which is a Gamma Ray
  detection device will be installed and operated
  by CBP at the two locations of Sarnia and
  Windsor, Ontario. CBP will Vacis X-Ray 100 of
  all CN and CP trains. The trains will be
  required to slow between 3-5 miles per hour in
  order to perform this type of examination.
• CCRA and CBP are finalizing a protocol that will
  define the terms and conditions for conducting
  rail examinations.

14
Smart Border

• CLEARANCE AWAY FROM THE BORDER
• Proposal to move customs and immigration
  inspection activities away from the border to
  improve security and relieve congestion where
  possible.
• Pre-clearance
• Reverse Inspection
• Pre-Processing
• Significant legal and sovereignty issues exist
  with option where one country operates with full
  powers on the soil of the other.

15
Smart Border

• JOINT FACILITIES
• Current joined or joint facilities
• Noyan, P.Q - Alburg Springs, Vermont
• Climax, Saskatchewan Turner, Montana
• Carson, BC Danville, Washington State
• Little Gold Creek, Yukon Poker Creek, Alaska
• Agreed to develop a list, with US partners, to be
  issued in late Spring 2003 and may include
  following sites pending outcome of feasibility
  studies
• River de Chute, NB / Easton, ME
• Bloomfield, NB / Monticello, ME
• St. Croix, NB / Vanceboro, ME
• Morses Line, QC / Morses Line, VT
• Winkler, MB / Walhalla, ND
• Snowflake, MB /Hanna, ND
• Chopaka, BC / Nighthawk, WA
• Rykerts, BC / Porthill, ID
• Joined/ joint facilities template to be completed
  in September 2003

16
Smart Border

• DATA EXCHANGE
•  
• Canadian and U.S. Customs agencies have extended
  the scope of information they share through
• the Cooperation Arrangement for the Exchange of
  Information for the Purposes of Inquiries Related
  to Customs Fraud, signed in December 2001 and  
• Agreement signed in April 2003 on the exchange of
  NAFTA information including audit plans, audit
  reports, results of advance rulings, and origin
  (re)determinations.
• Working to identify other potential exchange
  opportunities

17
Smart Border

• FERRY TERMINALS (Maritime Security)
• Marine benchmarking exercise completed in May
  2002.
• Objective is to enhance Canadian and U.S. border
  security at marine terminals through the adoption
  of a series of benchmarks for improving security
  and contraband interception
• 42 recommendations ranging in complexity at
  various stages of implementation .examples as
  follow
• - Creation of a Customs system(potentially a
  joint US/Canada system) to capture information
  regarding vessels
• - Development of a timely single business
  window of advance electronic reporting of
  pre-arrival notification for the vessel, crew
  list and cargo manifests for use by all
  applicable agencies to screen for contraband and
  threats to security and
• - Establish dedicated Canadian resources to
  target and examine suspect travelers or crew in
  the sea passenger environment

18
Smart Border

• Technology
• Mobile VACIS is a truck mounted gamma ray mobile
  scanning system which captures an image of
  contents of a marine container, rail car, or
  truck.
• It gives the operators of this equipment an image
  similar in many ways to an X-ray.
• The first three mobile VACISTM units located at
  the marine ports of Vancouver, Montreal, and
  Halifax.
• Additional units are deployed or scheduled for
  deployment across Canada

19
Smart Border

• BI-NATIONAL BORDER INFRASTRUCTURE/MODELLING
  WORKING GROUP
• Ensure effective linkages between border
  agencies specific program initiatives and other
  appropriate bi-national working groups.
• Review border infrastructure proposals on both
  sides of the border to ensure they are
  complementary to the new systems being
  implemented (e.g. FAST, NEXUS, etc.) and ensure
  maximum traffic efficiencies.
• Analyze border congestion on an ongoing basis
  using computer simulation technology to identify
  problems and potential solutions.
• BI-NATIONAL PRIVATE SECTOR ADVISORY COMMITTEE
• In September 2002, US President George Bush and
  Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien called for
  private sector consultations on strategic
  directions for the Canada/U.S. Shared Border
  Accord (SBA).
• The first meeting is not expected before the fall.

20
Smart Border

• NEXT STEPS FOR THE SMART BORDER DECLARATION
  PROCESS
• Meetings continue between Deputy Prime Minister
  Manley and Homeland Security Secretary Ridge to
  ensure progress on all of the Phase 1
  initiatives.
• Next Shared Border Accord meeting will be hosted
  by the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border
  Protection (USBCBP) in August, 2003.

21
Smart Border

• CONCLUSION
• Significant progress to date in streamlining low
  risk commercial shipment and traveller (e.g.
  FAST, NEXUS) and enhancing security at
  international airports and seaports (Joint
  Intransit Targeting, API).
• More progress to be made during this fiscal year
• Expand NEXUS and FAST
• Roll out CANPASS Air and NEXUS Air
• Roll out Marine ACI and AIR PNR
• Most remaining key initiatives will be in place
  and operating by April, 2005.