I only learned about this card requirement based on the CBC reports of the lineups. When was Canada Immigration going to tell me that I needed this card to cross the border? Since I immigrated in Jan of 2002, I've gone through YVR at least 50 times, and driven across the border at least 180 times. Not once did anyone tell me I needed to apply for the card.
After the news report I stopped at the immigration office at the Peace Arch border crossing and asked them about the card. One person in the office remembered hearing something about the need for the card, and advised me to go to the website to get more information. It seems that even the immigration officers aren't clear on what thenew requirements are.
Now it seems that I may not have the card in time since I'm still waiting for the application to arrive. You can download the application from the website, but it requires a numbered receipt for payment that you can only get via the mail. So I wait. I'm sure that my employer will be very sympathetic to my having to cancel travel plans while I wait for an appointment to get the card. Or if I try to expense the $50 fee to get the single crossing visa everytime I fly south.