Canadian border crossing

Wingmaster

Wingmaster

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A buddy and I are planning a fishing trip to northern Saskatchewan in June. I have made this trip several times in the last 15 or so years without any problem at all.

The problem I have is in 1984 I was young and dumb and got a DWUI. Having a DWUI is a reason to not let an American pass into Canada.

Do you think, with the political atmosphere as it is that I will have a problem crossing the border? I have looked into it and it is possible to get permission from the Canadian government but that process takes 6 to 9 months and we have our trip planned for June. Only 3 months away.

I would hate to drive all the way up there and get turned around ruining not only my trip but my buddies trip as well.
 
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Wingmaster said:
A buddy and I are planning a fishing trip to northern Saskatchewan in June. I have made this trip several times in the last 15 or so years without any problem at all.

The problem I have is in 1984 I was young and dumb and got a DWUI. Having a DWUI is a reason to not let an American pass into Canada.

Do you think, with the political atmosphere as it is that I will have a problem crossing the border? I have looked into it and it is possible to get permission from the Canadian government but that process takes 6 to 9 months and we have our trip planned for June. Only 3 months away.

I would hate to drive all the way up there and get turned around ruining not only my trip but my buddies trip as well.
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I think since you have not had issues crossing into Canada several times since 1984 you are unlikely to now.

I am not sure I would plan a trip to Canada, especially in a car with US plates, at this time though. From what I read, the Canadians are pretty annoyed with us these days. Unsurprisingly.
 
I’m interested in Canadian border crossings as well. We have a camper van trip to Alaska planned. Regarding your DWUI question, I don’t believe that civil offenses were tracked because computers were rare and not interconnected in 1984 (Orwell?). My guess is that you will be just fine.
 
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Short answer… if CBSA finds out, you’ll be refused. If they don’t, I’m sure it will be like the times before.

Longer answer… if you were convicted of X that makes you inadmissible, you have been inadmissible since then. Not getting caught doesn’t mean you are good.

For the US, if someone in Canada receives a pardon for a crime that makes them inadmissible… let’s say a drug offense just because it is easy… the US does not recognize foreign pardons. So if someone does a criminal record check, said charge doesn’t show up. But if they tell me (CBP) that they received a pardon for drugs, they are inadmissible until they present their pardon paperwork so we can determine their admissibility. If it weren’t a drug charge and instead a theft… there are some charges that fall under the petty offense exemption (need to see the specific charge). From what I know, Canada can handle it similarly… if you can’t prove that you are admissible. A lot of foreigners take it for granted that it is their responsibility to prove that they are admissible… works both directions. I’ve refused plenty of people who complain that they were allowed in before. My country, our rules. Reverse is the case for Canada.

For the worry about Canadians… that is a little bit excessive to worry about going to Canada with US plates. I’ve gone over, zero issues. Plenty of people go over… I’ve heard of zero issues. Canadians are coming over in droves, even with the current political climate. Gas here is leaps/bounds cheaper than it is in Canada. But Canada is still hitting people with tariffs, so people shopping over here are paying upwards of 40% more to bring stuff back.

If you got a Canadian that has issue because you are coming to Canada to support their economy, they would be a similar pain if nothing was going on between the countries.
 
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Oldengineer said:
I’m interested in Canadian border crossings as well. We have a camper van trip to Alaska planned. Regarding your DWUI question, I don’t believe that civil offenses were tracked because computers were rare and not interconnected in 1984 (Orwell?). My guess is that you will be just fine.
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I think you will find that Canada is like many European countries in that a DUI is considered a criminal offense, not a civil offense. The US is the only place I know where the concept of misdemeanor DUI exists.
 
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We’ll be in Canada in June as well for 9 days, taking one of the Rocky Mountaineer trains from Vancouver to Calgary.

Can’t think of anything that might make them send me home for I believe. :)
 
Made numerous fishing trip's to Canada with my son's when they were younger, the bus ride was included in the package. At the Canadian border a guard would come onto the bus and collect our ID's to check us all before we crossed into Canada. On one trip the guard came back onto the bus and gave everyone back their ID's except for one passenger. The guard called him out by name and asked him to step off the bus, his luggage and fishing tackle were removed from the bus and we left him there at the border. The representative on the bus from the fishing lodge told us he was denied access to Canada due to a DUI.
 
I have a friend that got a DWI in the 90s. He went in and out of Canada several times. About 7-8 yrs ago he was going up to Hudson Bay to hunt moose. He was turned around at the border. Maybe they look closer when you’re toting a 30/06? I don’t know. Living in a border city with 3 international bridges close by, I hear law offices advertising on the radio all the time about this issue. It can be fixed. Apparently rather quickly. But at what cost, I don’t know. My buddy is not willing to pay a dime. His attitude is I don’t need Canada.
 
dockmurgw said:
The last thing I would worry about is Canadian hostility while traveling there, they are generally a civil and polity society. You'll experience far more geographically based hostility in this forum than you ever will in Canada.
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Thank you. We're nowhere as obnoxious as some make us out to be :rolleyes: My next-door neighbor (note deferential US spelling) who was born in VT, and whose sisters still live there & in Maine, would agree.
Onomea said:
From what I read, the Canadians are pretty annoyed with us these days. Unsurprisingly.
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Thank you everyone for the replies. Especially you Screwball. You sound like you're on the other side of the booth.

Does it matter that the DWUI is 40 years old?

I have read that it is up to the Canadian official at the border. Do they ever let anyone through that is in my predicament? Like looking at and thinking it's been 40 years he's probably rehabilitated since that was the only offence?

Thanks again everyone.
 
LVSteve said:
I think you will find that Canada is like many European countries in that a DUI is considered a criminal offense, not a civil offense. The US is the only place I know where the concept of misdemeanor DUI exists.
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In the US, a misdemeanor is a crime, usually punishable by a fine and or incarceration of up to a year. In the US, a DUI with no injury (not the defendant) is a misdemeanor criminal offense, with injury it's generally charged as a felony. If there are exceptions, I am not aware of them. A conviction of several misdemeanor DUIs can make it a felony.
 
CH4 said:
In the US, a misdemeanor is a crime, usually punishable by a fine and or incarceration of up to a year. In the US, a DUI with no injury (not the defendant) is a misdemeanor criminal offense, with injury it's generally charged as a felony. If there are exceptions, I am not aware of them. A conviction of several misdemeanor DUIs can make it a felony.
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Sitting through voir dire a few years back I was staggered by the number of potential jurors with felony DUIs. The judge had them gone pronto.

With regard to Canada, it seems that DUI is treated as a crime of moral turpitude, which it isn't under US immigration law. I recall my immigration attorney telling me ICE would give me a hard time about any kind of fraud, but punching a guy out in a bar brawl was fine. That lady sure had a sense of humor.
 
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Wingmaster said:
Thank you everyone for the replies. Especially you Screwball. You sound like you're on the other side of the booth.

Does it matter that the DWUI is 40 years old?

I have read that it is up to the Canadian official at the border. Do they ever let anyone through that is in my predicament? Like looking at and thinking it's been 40 years he's probably rehabilitated since that was the only offence?

Thanks again everyone.
Click to expand...

40 year look back for a DWUI is a bit draconian without a reoccurrence, imo.
 
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