When I got my Nexus back in 2008, I had to call and ask if there were any cancellations. Is online availability now reflecting cancellations, too?

Doesn't reflect cancellations as such. Just availability appears where there was previously no availability.

Thanks, that'll be useful when I have to renew.

It gives you real-time availability..... If someone cancel's their slot will show straight away.

However as the system always offers the next available appointment, they do not last for long!

There are 4 interview places within a 3 hour drive of Vancouver, 3 of which are within an hour - YVR, Vancouver Downtown, Blaine, and Seattle downtown. On a first come first serve basis, the current full length wait times are as follows:

YVR - Jan 22
Vancouver - Jan 24
Blaine - Dec 18
Seattle - Jan 28

Just to show how often things change - checking like a hawk this morning for my sister, these are the times I've seen pop up in a 6 hour period, I'm sure there have been more:

YVR September 12, Seattle September 12, Seattle Sep 17, Blaine October 9, Vancouver November 5, Blaine November 29

My NEXUS renewal was approved today, and no interview is necessary ^
Global Entry is also extended another 5 years :)

I arrived in the USA via MIA this morning. I had a meager granola bar in my bag and check "yes" for food since I was clearly told that if its edible, i need to check YES when using Global Entry.

The printout came out with a big X across it. I had to then go to one of the agents who scanned my passport and stamped it. Then, at customs I was taken to secondary where my luggage was screened. Ugh!

Is this "standard" if you check YES for food or was I just unlucky? Next time ill travel with no food at at all. Lesson learned.

If you check "yes" to any of the questions, you will receive an X.

That being said, the person who told you about the food policy (your interviewer, I assume) was mistaken. The GE question was reworded a while back, and no longer requires the declaration of all food items. This is the kiosk question:

"Do you have any fruits, vegetables, plants, insects, meats or products containing meat, dairy products, animals or animal/wildlife products, disease agents, cell cultures, snails, soil; or have you visited a farm/ranch/pasture outside the United States?"

In light of this question, you could have honestly answered no for your granola bar. In the future, you need to declare only those food items listed in the question, not food in general.

The only exception to this is when the kiosks are down, in which case you will need to complete a 6059B Customs Declaration, which asks about food in general. On that form, even your granola bar would have to be declared.

This. And yes, if you use the regular customs form, make sure you declare anything. If you get a random, and they find something, they may not be kind.

I came back to the states once (pre-GE) on Nexus, and completely forgot about a bag of pretzels in my bag. I actually had bought them in the states to bring to someone in canada, but they never made it out of my bag. It didn't even occur to me until the agent was searching my backpack after getting an RR. They were still even in the Kroger plastic bag from where I bought them. Officer lectured me a bit about how I must declare all food, and that he wouldn't this time, but could have technically taken away my Nexus.

Of course, fast forward to about 3 weeks ago, when I entered the US with some cheesebagels. I answered "yes" to the question for having dairy, and when I got called and told the officer what it was, he gave me a look and told me I don't need to declare that. I simply said it was dairy, and I would rather be safe than sorry, as he waved me out.

Oh goodness -- how close to "animal products" do they mean? I mean, gummy bears are made with gelatin which is of animal origin, right? I am like emcambe, would over-declare to be safe rather than sorry. I will burden them with my obsessive-compulsive concerns when I have my induction training (currently Nov 1, but stalking the GOES site looking for cancellations).

I had a friend with some kind of pocket knife in his checked luggage. He declared a "weapon". That was fun :)

Please disregard this post. Can't delete it for some reason :P

If you use NEXUS you have to fill out the card and that same question includes "food". And I had a sandwich (no unapproved items) with me at the US entry in Toronto at NEXUS and because I entered "yes" I was sent to secondary. The good thing is that they don't make you wait. The bad thing is that they go through everything and demand a passport. If they're not busy some officers like to ask endless questions about every component of the sandwich.

Now that all Canadian Preclearance airports have GE kiosks, there is little reason to use the NEXUS kiosks when flying to the US.

Except when the GE kiosk is offline and Nexus isn't (like the last time I went) :)