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Posts: 1189
Location: Bagley,MN 56621 | I'd like to add a little here, not with the DUI issue, but with the border crossing and passport/birth cert requirements for both the U.S. and canada.
My girlfriend Julie and I went to Niagara Falls, then on to Rochester N.Y. to visit the folks for Easter. We left at around noon thursday, drove straight through crossing into Canada at Port Huron (michigan) at about 4:00AM fri morning. I have been to Canada mamy many times, not so in the last 2 years but before that never even needed an I.D. Seeing this thread I was interested to see the 2007 passport requireemnt, i neglected to bring mine thinking it hasnt hit yet and in the past I never even showed an I.D., just told them my citizenship So, we pull up to the custom's booth.......................
"show me your documentation"
me: hands him both mine and Julie's Minn drivers license
"whats this? I'm not a cop, I could care less about your driving record, prove to me your citizenship"
me: I can't, thats all I have
"do you realize you drove into another country,?" You are in CANADA now you know that?
me: yes
"prove to me where you were born with either a passport or birth certificate""
me: I'm sorry I cant, my drivers license is all I have
"I'm not a cop, I sit in this box monitoring those who enter this country, are you aware you are in another country?"
me: yes
"YOU need to take ownership and responsibility about entering into another country, YOu should have checked into our crossing regulations before you started your vacation."
me: blank stare
"Do you want me to ruin your vacation by holding you 2 in an immigration hearing (as he points to the big block building just through the "box")"
me: silence
anyways............, this went on for another 3-4 minutes when he finally asked if I had any weapons, when I said no, he says........."I'll let you go...TODAY"
OK, now its sat noon and we are crossing from canada to N.Y. over the Lewiston bridge thinking oh great what are we going to encounter here, the U.S. is supposed to be much more strict.
pulled up to booth...
was asked citizenship, what did we do in Canada, anything to declare.............HAVE A NICE DAY!!
never asked for an I.D. or anything, took 12 seconds
granted the Lewiston bridge was backed up for an hour,bumper to bumper, but the whole border crossing experience was opposite. Getting into the U.S. was much easier tha getting into Canada.
maybe the border crossigns will be smoother for I'falls and other "northern" Canada fishing locations due to the natures of most crossers visits..........or maybe they just might hire another poor sap that was the last to get picked in gym class.......................
needless to say, we took the state view all the way home, didnt go back through Canada. |
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Posts: 484
Location: St. Louis, MO., Marco Is., FL, Nestor Falls, ON | Greg:
You have a gift for humor! I laughed throughout your sad tale.....(sorry). I have been crossing the Canadian border for 53 years. Only one time did I have an experience like yours. Not bad considering how many jerks there are in the world. Give some people a little power and they become a martinette. Good thing there are not many findyourpeepeewithatweezer types in the world. Thanks for the laughs. |
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Posts: 550
Location: So. Illinois | I don't comment on topics like this often but the short answer (and correct answer is) drinking and driving is a "crime" and not a "mistake". You shouldn't have to be a victum of a drunken driver to understand this. Canada has the right and obligation to protect their citizens and deny anyone entrance who does not obey the law. Paying the excess money to enter Canada with a record is a real bitch but imagine what a bitch it would be if you lost a loved one to a drunken driver.......... As a military member, I've had to sit through two trials (courts martials) where the accused had killed someone because they chose to drive after drinking. I'll never forget the pain the family had to endure listening to the defense attorney explain that the accused was a great guy and that he had made a mistake and that his career should be spared and that they not receive any punishment. The willful act of drinking and driving is a crime and nothing else and should not be explained away, softened, or categorized in any other matter -- even if the drunk driver is a friend or family member......... |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | I agree that OWI is a serious offense and if the perpetrator is punished and served thier punishment WHERE the offense happend, it's a done deal. Does Canada deport people with an OWI? The notion of the crossing fee tells me that an OWI is just another way for Canada to make money. Where do 99% of the tourists go? Lake resorts where they'll be on vacation right? They aren't driving around jeapordizing people with their single 10 year old OWI conviction. They allow booze to drive in across the boarder right? If they're that concerned about drinking and driving why do they allow alcohol in a vehicle crossing the boarder?
Maybe there ought to be a rule...if you're a convicted OWI person, you're not allowed to have alcohol in your vehicle...that's more fitting than not allowing a 1 time 10 year ago offender across the boarder.
Edited by Gander Mt Guide 4/17/2006 3:24 PM
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| Gander MT. Guide hit the nail on the head, in my opinion. If you've committed no crime IN Canada, why should you have to pay a penalty? Personally, I don't drink, and I think this is ridiculous. There are well over 100 residents of Minnesota who have 20 or more DUI convictions. If people want to drink, they're gonna drink, even though they're paying the money at the border and saying they won't. I bet they even let those people bring alcohol accross.
All I'm saying, is that if I am dumb enough to commit some crime, I'd gladly pay the price for doing so. I would not feel justice was served if someone years later said that the time I served, or the fine I paid now wasn't good enough.
Good fishing everyone. |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | Eh, Just felt like saying the corss into US is absolutely no picnic. Last year we were stopped twice coming back in, with both times resulting in a very slow moving and tiring process. We did get searched by the Canadians once out of 3 times last year, but it was very quick and they werent rampaging through our things like the guys at Intl. Falls... |
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Posts: 484
Location: St. Louis, MO., Marco Is., FL, Nestor Falls, ON | John and Brad:
I kind of get the feeling that you are both saying, "Don't confuse me with the facts...my mind is made up!" I wish you would read my posts concerning this matter again. No one is talking about a 1 time offender 10 years ago. There is an easy fix for those people. And the Canadian government is certainly not saying, "Just give me enough money and you can come across."
I would venture to say that Canada would most certainly deport convicted felons who are not citizens of Canada. We sure do in the United States. And In Canada....DUI is a felony.
There is no law in Canada against transporting alcohol in your vehicle in a closed container. The law is pretty must like the open container law in the USA. Their DUI laws, like most in the USA, are aimed at blood alcohol levels, not whether the person has had a couple of drinks.
Your point about if you have satisfied the law in your country and did the time, you should not have it counted against you in another country, is rather flawed. Following your logic, if an Islamic man killed his daughter for disrespecting him and bringing shame on the family in an Arabic country and received little or no punishment for that frequent occurence, we should follow your idea and let him come into our country because what he did in his country was not illegal. I know it's not the same thing, but the logic IS the same.
Let's say my son borrows my car, goes out drinking and has a wreck. I ground him for a month. After the month is over, do you expect me to throw him the keys to my car and pretend it never happened? Not likely. He would have to prove to me over an extended time that he is trustworthy before I would turn him lose with the car again. I think this is exactly what the Canadian government is doing through their Rehabilitation program and their Pardon program. Some mistakes you make are going to cost you for a long time. It's their country, their people they are trying to protect and their decision. It wasn't their mistake that started this whole process. All choices have consequences...some good...some bad. But we all need to take responsibility for those decisions and live with the consequences...and IMPROVE the choices we make.
If 2 or 3 of the people in your truckload crossing into Canada have DUI's on their record, I can only assume that they are fellow members of an AA group, or I question your choice in friends. I am not trying to attack anyone, only point out that you can pretty well tell about a person by the company he keeps. I have about 20 friends who come up during summers to fish with me on LOTW, we all like to drink and have a good time, but not one of them has ever had a DUI. Lucky??? Maybe so. But part of that is the maturity to recognize when you are not fit to drive. I just hope everyone out there, me included, will exercise the maturity needed to protect themselves, their passengers and other drivers from driving drunk.
Edited by rpieske 4/19/2006 4:44 PM
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| it's an individual's choice to drink and drive.
it's society's choice to decide what the consequences are.
it's an individual's choice to visit Canada or not.
it's Canada's choice to decide what the conditions are.
visiting Canada is a priviledge they give, it is not a right.
like it or not, limitations on that priviledge are part of the consequences for choosing to drink and drive. |
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| I think I see your point Bob. As I said earlier, I myself do not drink, so I have never worried about it. And I truly feel that anyone who really wants to drink up there while they're on vacation, will do so, even after paying the money and such. I'll find out how it is next September when I'm on the LOTW. Thanks for your post. |
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| Never mind
Edited by pete_k 4/17/2006 9:49 PM
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Posts: 696
Location: Northern Illinois | Last year was the 2nd year I've been to Canada. We took 2 vehicles to pull the 2 boats up. My Dad and his buddy were in my Dad's car and my Uncle and me were in his. My Dad goes through the check after about 3-4 minutes. It gets to us and he ask for a valid I.D. We give him our licenses. He then asks, "Do you guys have any alcohol that were bringing into the country. We tell him no and he said he wants to take a look. He opens our cooler up and finds 2 beers in it. Apparently my Dad remembered he put them in there and told the guy that we didn't know we had them. The guard gave us a hard time and then started laughing. Talk about a scary situation for a minute! |
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Posts: 2515
Location: Waukesha & Land O Lakes, WI | Maybe because a single OWI here is commonplace (not with me), we just accept it more than Canada does. Obviously this is the case with OWI being a fellony. We could debate logic and principal until we're blue in the face (or fingers in this case), but we're still going to come to a dead end..that being. Its Canada's rules, its thier country and we're not going to change it, so either live with it or not. I'm heading up to Canada for both work and a research project next summer and thank God I'm not going to have to worry about this mess.
Good luck to everybody who's made a mistake, learned and is trying to cross the boarder. |
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| Well guys im sure glad many see the reasoning. U.S.citizens have always been welcome into CANADA. With the many sportsmen and woman to come and enjoy. laws protect all visitors and canadian citizens. now lets all go get some fishing done EH |
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