Etc.: Cute, sexy, b*i*t*chy, what else?

No one properly trained in identifying imposters and fraudulent documents cares about eye colour. However, if you do think this could pose a problem when travelling abroad, Passport Canada will issue a replacement passport free of charge, valid for the balance of the validity period of the original passport. You just need to complete an application and send in up-to-date photographs.

Actually, that's not what the passport office told me. They will reissue it during the first year, but you have to pay again after that, unless that policy has recently changed.

We'll just wait for it to get closer to expiry and get a new one then for him.

http://www.ppt.gc.ca/form/pdfs/pptc155.pdf

Children who have been issued a passport in their first 12 months may be issued a one-time replacement passport, free of charge, valid for the balance of the three-year validity period of the original passport. Full application requirements must be met. To ensure the photo is a current and true likeness of the child, it must be taken within one month of the date the application is submitted.

Oh good! That means either the passport office told me the wrong thing or they recently changed it. We will probably do that for him then before we go to Scotland in June.

Thanks for looking it up.

I just has a terrible experience at YYZ customs yesterday. I have flown in to YUL from within the US twice before delclaring business without any trouble. This time I was flying thru YYZ to YUL to visit a friend.

I came armed with his address and phone number and all the info. This seemed to be a huge issue. I don't know what the problem was but I got referred to secondary and let the games begin.

I answered every question truthfully and this guy was convinced that I was lying and there on business. He pulled a background check with my social security number.

After about 20 minutes he comes back from the backroom and says, "I still think you are lying to me and here on business, but i'll give you your three days. I am going to put some information in your file though so you will be scrutinized every time you come through now." I can't remember the last time i've been so rattled. I didn't think they were going to let me in. I mean i'm here on a rewards ticket on a Friday. I've been here twice before on business and declared it so. Why would I lie about it this time? Do I have any redress options to clear the record?

I am surprised they would tell you anything about putting you "in the system" or thinking you were lying as both in my view would be no-no's given you were admitted for the purpose you stated.

Yapping on your cell phone when interacting with another human being standing in front of you (CBSA agent, cashier, waiter, etc.) is just plain rude! A part of basic manner that seems to have gotten lost in the 21st century.

I travel a LOT. Since April of 2009 I have been travelling around the world and coming to/from Canada (home). Never an issue. For the past 25 years I've only been inspected once and that about 15 years ago. Since then I've never been inspected. Until 2 days ago.

I flew back from a trip and came in through customs. The inspector that asked the first questions was polite and enthusiastic about my trip. I had no idea I was given put the secret mark on my paper that meant I would have secondary inspection.

Got to secondary and the inspector there was polite as well. Sort of. I felt like a criminal coming into my own country. Made me boot up my laptop so they could look at pictures and videos on it. Informed me they are looking for child porn. I said you will not find any kind of porn on my laptop. Inspector kept looking. Questioned me about people in pics and stuff. Also wanted to look at my phone pics but in the end decided not to. Inspector rifled through all my stuff and was constantly remarking about child porn and drugs.

I told them I don't drink/smoke/drugs or anything like that. I always claim the amount I spend. Inspecotr asked why I travel so much. I said it's my hobby and they wanted to know where I get all my money since I don't work. I said money is no issue. Inspecotr continued to comment about child porn and drugs. I had absolutely nothing to hide and have no problem with them trying to find people that break the law.

Obviously they have poor screening skills or they would not have wasted 1.5 hours of my time or their valuable time. I cannot believe they made me feel like a criminal in my own country.

Anyway - in the end the inspector thanked me for being patient and I said I agree with the work they are doing. Inspector commented a few times that they are surprised I was not stopped more often due to my travel patterns. Now that put fear in me - thinking I am now going to be checked every time. I have nothing to hide... but the time it takes is ridiculous and I don't like being felt like a liar - as if I would break the law!

Does anyone know if they mark your file? I am wondering if I will now be inspected more often. I don't mind the inspection. I just mind the wait time. After flying 20 hours then having to endure 1/2 hour in line to be inspected then 1 hour being given the third degree is mind racking.

Questions #2 - what if I missed a connecting flight? Anyone know what they do? What if I had a 1 hour connection time to go onto my next flight and I was held up in line for 1.5 hours?

Just wondering.

Don't worry about it. If they had seized something from you (drugs, undeclared/undervalued commodities, child porn, etc.), then you'd be visiting them each time you returned to Canada. If they found nothing, you shouldn't have anything to worry about. That said, you could still be selected for examination at any point from when the aircraft lands to when you walk out the doors into the public meeting area.

That would be between you and the airline you're flying.

Thanks for the reply - appreciate the info.

Pity about the missing flight situation should it occur. The airlines give a 'legal' connection time but I guess they don't take into consideration customs times.

Their agents have been caught making hash brownies, aiding and abetting the mafia and other criminals, stealing travelers information to harass them on facebook and sexually abusing and profiling pretty young women. Minister Van Loan's words to Senator Banks about the CBSA.

Mr. Van Loan: Thank you very much. I think you demonstrate a healthy mistrust of unlimited legislative power to unaccountable bureaucrats without process.

Senator Banks: I could not have said it better. I will refer to Hansard to use that sentence again in the future

Their latest assault on a Canadian with no investigation or apology.

http://www.torontosun.com/news/canad.../14759016.html

very sad.........but in a way, she is very lucky!! (tongue in cheek) another at YVR...........not so

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWmue9ixN00

Thought I would chime in with a story. Someone I knew used to travel a lot for business, as a teacher. He often was paid in cash, and during one crossing he failed to declare that he had more than 10k in cash on his person. He was flagged for secondary inspection, and in fact they confiscated his computer at that time. Weeks went by before he finally was able to get an update to his situation. They found child porn, and he was being charged!

Long story short, he is serving 70 months as a result of the search. My feeling is although the punishment is harsh, the crime demands the time


There are 2 important lessons form this story. The first is; Customs has absolute power to do secondary searches for almost no reason at all. Computers can be searched with the goal of finding illegal porn, and they have the right to search for as long as they feel required. Second, never travel with porn on your computer. Your computer should never have more than what you would need for the trip your on it, and a complete backup should be left at home. Keep your personal surfing (porn or not) on your home computer and just travel with what you need for the trip.

my $.02

What no one seems able to tell me is whether you are required by law to hand over your encryption password for your computer, i.e. if customs takes your computer and it has full-disk encryption, are you required by law to hand over the password so they can examine the computer? What happens if you say "I choose to not give you the password." Are you arrested and charged with an offence?