The Canada Border Services Agency has delivered good news to Canadian resort owners and their American customers by announcing that groups crossing the border won’t be required to pay a 25 percent tariff on groceries they bring to eat. The exemption applies as long as the food and other consumables are for personal use. When Canada introduced its retaliatory tariff last month, it caused concern among Ontario and Manitoba tourism officials, fishing outfitters, and lake resorts, who believed visitors would need to show receipts for their groceries and other consumables.
However, a government spokesman clarified that border agents won’t apply the new tariff if the incoming personal-use goods seem reasonable for the traveler’s stay duration and purpose. “It is the responsibility of border services officers at ports of entry to assess the quantity of consumable goods,” said Canada Border Services Agency spokesman Luke Reimer. “If the officer determines that the goods exceed a reasonable quantity for the visitor’s intended stay, then the 25% surtax may be applied.”
Gerry Cariou, executive director of Sunset Country Travel Association in Kenora, Ontario, welcomed the clarification.
Tariff exemption brings relief
He noted that he received similar confirmation from the border crossing superintendent stationed at Fort Frances. Typically, travelers to Canada for a week or two of vacation don’t exceed the allowable limit for groceries and other personal items.
Beer and other alcohol would be subject to the tariff only if amounts exceed the duty-free limit, traditionally one case of beer or one 40-ounce container of spirits per adult. Matt Tolton, the third-generation owner of Rex Tolton’s Miles Bay Camp on the Ontario side of Lake of the Woods, expressed his cautious optimism regarding the new policy. “Who knows which way it will go next,” Tolton said.
“I hope it sorts itself out.”
