Originally Posted by
Shareholder
If bags are not short checked they will go to the US Customs PreClearance rather than the normal Canadian Customs carousels. You would have to do Customs B walk to US PreClearance so not sure how you'd get a checked bag and yourself out into Canada.
I would ask again about short-checking. You could tell them that you will be leaving leaving the secure area and need your bags during that time period.
The alternative (and simpler) alternative is to tell the agent when you check-in that you want to cancel the last segment. On an Award flight there is no loss to the airline if you cancel that last leg. It's different from a hidden city trip in which the last segment made the flight much cheaper.