Originally Posted by
discoseal
I'm an American flying LAX-YYZ one-way to meet up with some friends for a vacation where I will then hop in a car with them and drive back across the border to their house in Chicago. Would I be denied entry into Canada because of the lack of a return ticket?
Do you live in Los Angeles? If so, how are you getting from Chicago back to L.A.? If by air, make sure you have proof of that ticket with you when you cross the border into Canada. Adds weight to your story.
Also, when you cross make sure you have the contact info for your friends to hand (neatly printed on a piece of paper), and make sure they're reachable by phone at about the time you'll be entering Canada. That way, if CBSA needs to call them to verify your story they'll be reachable and preferably sober
As others have said, CBSA's biggest concern is that you're not coming to Canada to work. As we see on the Nat Geo "Border Security" show, people coming here to work -
a) Have a one-way ticket
b) Have tons of luggage
...so just take the steps above to ensure they can verify your story and you'll be fine.