I am aware of the risk, same way I am aware of the risk of getting hit on the frozen road of Toronto on Tuesday in a rental car that has mirrors half fogged up :)

Guys before you throw the Nexus regulation book at me, let me tell you nobody planned to take the risk. I did not realize passport was not in my briefcase until I was at Chicago terminal 1 Pre security line, 30 minutes before the 6:30 am flight.

Now my ORIGINAL question was if there were working Nexus kiosks at YYZ US pre-clearance. Answers so far seem to be a mixed bag.

Problem is they could all be working fine now and then 5 minutes before you step up to them they could all shut down.

You also may not be able to get onto your flight without a passport.

Finally, US CBP may ask to see your passport when you talk to an officer. This is often the case at YVR. At YYZ YMMMV.

Why can't you use the GE machines at US preclearance at YYZ? I missed that part.
Edited to add: are you sure your NEXUS card doesn't work in the passport reader? Mine does, but my passport is a Cdn passport. The markings on the back of the card go in the same place as the similar markings of the passport go.
Not encouraging taking the risk, but in terms of the technology, I wondered if this works for US passport holders too.

So, per the rules of the program, even though the NEXUS card is WHTI compliant for air travel, it should only be used at a kiosk? You're not allowed to present it to CBP as your sole form of identification. I plan to apply for NEXUS and just want some clarification. Thanks.

From WHTI website:

http://getyouhome.gov/html/lang_eng/eng_at.html

"Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI) and Air Travel for U.S. Citizens

When traveling by air between the U.S. and Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean or Bermuda, you are required to present a U.S. passport, except as noted below. This applies to everyone including newborns, infants and children.

The only exceptions to this requirement are for:

1. U.S. citizens on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces, traveling with military ID and travel orders

2. U.S. citizen merchant mariners traveling in conjunction with maritime business, with U.S. issued Merchant Mariner Document

3. Travelers with a NEXUS card used at a NEXUS kiosk at Canadian Preclearance airports

4. U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents with a Permanent Resident Card or other evidence of permanent residence status and required documentation; refugees and asylees with a Refugee Travel Document."

In all my travels since getting NEXUS, I never remove my passport from my purse. I always have it, but have never been asked for it. The CBP has never asked for anything other than the boarding pass to stamp and the kiosk card to hand in.
My NEXUS card is even usually in a pocket at that point. I show the NEXUS as government ID at the boarding gate as well.
I realize CBP are within their right to ask me to show the passport, and if they did, I am always able to and I certainly would.

@Flyquiet - interesting point. I did not know that Nexus card or GE card could be used in the GE machine reader. I assumed (and this could be wrong obviously) that only passport could be scanned in GE machine.

I would give it a try tomorrow if Nexus kiosks are not working.

Thanks.

There were two there in November when I last entered the US by air in terminal 1.

I just don't know if you should risk the annoyance of not only having your TT status pulled but also facing increased scrutiny in the future when crossing to save $50 on courier fees. But to each their own I guess.

Point taken. Here is my backup plan - if CBP give me a hard time about not carrying my passport, I would just politely withdraw from the attempt to cross border at YYZ, and instead take the shuttle to BUF and catch a flight there home. For land crossing either Nexus or US Passport CARD would suffice. Or I can just have passport overnight delivered to me. Either way I don't see how my TT status can be pulled.

That's still a bad plan, IMO. If you're at the point where CBP has asked you for a passport and you can't produce it, you've already lost and are past the point where you can just turn back, even politely.

This. + 1000. I wouldn't risk it in a million years.

Go ahead and apply. And ask away. Noting that if you go back through this thread, you will also see that different officers have given different answers to the same question to different people. Heck, I've had different officers give different answers to me on the same question.

The point is, once you're past the kiosk, and at a human because you've been randomly (or intentionally) sent to secondary, they are the ones that are going to interpret the rules. And my guess is in passenger vs. officer, you've already lost - the officer is going to win every time.

Might the rules be interpreted your way? Sure. And if they're not? A technicality, perhaps, but one I'm not risking my TT membership on. Particularly when it's not a burden (despite claims by some on here in pages back in this thread) to carry a small, thin booklet that easily fits in my pocket or carry on .

That's interesting. I've had the complete opposite experience; except for accessing the Nexus-only security lanes, I'm never asked for my Nexus card. As a matter of fact, when I get to the CBP agents after using either the GE or Nexus machines, I'm specifically asked to provide my passport and not my Nexus card.

I guess that just illustrates how agents handle these things differently :(

I am talking about YYZ departure hall in T1 preclearance. The guy sitting at the funnel has never asked me for anything but the kiosk paper and BP. They don't even ask me for the NEXUS card.

Leaving the US, I always give the NEXUS card to the CBP, and they have never rejected and asked for the passport, and to the best of my recollection, that has included MSY, PHX, MCO, SFO, ABQ, IAD, BAL.

As I say, I always have the passport in its nice RFID envelope inside a nice leather folder deep in the bowels of my purse, but I have never had cause to show it EXCEPT to the AC check-in person that doesn't recognize the NEXUS card (only in Canada, not at the US stations).

If a good actor, one could always freak out about having left their passport at the hotel and demand to return to Canada. It's certainly not a good idea though, that's for sure.

Customs Declaration form
 

So here is my observation on the blue Customs form for entry to US:

1. If one uses GE machine, no form is needed. The machine printout is adequate.

2. If one uses Nexus kiosk, the blue customs form is still required.

Gurus in this forum please correct me if I am mistaken. I was so used to NOT having to fill out the blue form because of GE, I forgot to get it done today when I used Nexus at YYZ for my flight back to O'Hare. Had to scramble for a pen and blank form. I assumed the CBP agent knew what she was doing.

Correct.

However...

I have Nexus and GE and a stack of blue forms.

At my home airport (YVR) US CBP preclearance has 2 GE and 2 Nexus machines.

Even though I always try to use GE, I also always fill out a form ahead of time and have it with me 'just in case.' I have the form filled out so that when the GE machine is out of service I can slide over and use the Nexus machine, with no delay required to fill out a form. 5 times out of 6 I never need the blue form, but when I do, I have it.

+ 1. I always use the GE machines at YVR and no blue form is needed. I have been lucky, I guess, and have never seen them both out of service at the same time. I guess I should keep one of the forms in my carry on just in case :p