Field notes from the Canadian border.
Practical playbooks and case studies from our brokers. No thought-leadership fluff — just the stuff we wish every importer knew before they called us in a panic.
New CBSA Office Code for Gordie Howe Bridge: Update Export Systems This Week
CBSA launches a new export office code for Gordie Howe on July 27; update your G7 EDI and CERS systems this week to avoid Monday morning rejections.
Read article →Steel derivative goods surtax: third revision in seven months
CBSA has updated CN 25-33 twice since the original December notice. If your CAD template still points to the first version, you're filing it wrong.
Read article →Why freight broker international expertise matters when tariff disputes reshape Canada-US trade
Trump's 50% tariffs on Canadian products reshape cross-border freight overnight. Canadian importers need freight broker international expertise to navigate CBSA CARM CAD filings, CUSMA origin verification, and retaliatory duty scenarios before August 19.
Read article →50% U.S. tariff on Canadian goods — what it means for your CUSMA preference claims
The U.S. just announced a 50% tariff on a wide range of Canadian goods, in direct violation of CUSMA. Canada will respond. For Canadian importers bringing in U.S. goods under CUSMA preference, the compliance landscape just got harder: expect origin verification sweeps, tariff classification challenges, and CAD filing risk on anything auto-sector adjacent.
Read article →Canada Border Services Agency: what commercial importers need to know
The Canada Border Services Agency administers customs for commercial imports. Here's what matters for your release, accounting, and compliance.
Read article →CBSA's New Systems Working Group: Will It Fix What's Actually Broken?
The CBSA launched its first Business Systems Enhancements Working Group under the new CTIF forum. For brokers and importers dealing with CARM portal friction, eManifest errors, and RPP bond reconciliation issues daily, the real test is whether this consultation produces actual fixes or just more meetings.
Read article →CN25-33 steel surtax now uses CUSMA marking rules for origin determination
The CBSA updated Customs Notice 25-33 to explicitly require CUSMA marking rules for origin determination on steel derivative goods subject to surtax. If your broker has been filing based on tariff classification rules instead, you're under-collecting and exposed on verification.
Read article →Customs Agent Workload Spikes When Carriers Blank Sailings: CARM Filing Realities
Container carriers now routinely blank 10-14% of scheduled sailings, creating unpredictable arrival patterns that compress customs clearance windows. A customs agent filing CADs under CARM doesn't get extra time when your shipment arrives three days early or five days late.
Read article →Down and feather imports: when China's testing requirements change mid-program
CFIA just amended the export certificate for Canadian down heading to China, dropping one test and making another routine. That's an export story, but Canadian importers moving down products the opposite direction need to track these changes—certificate drift between what your supplier certifies and what CFIA expects at the border is the difference between release and exam hold.
Read article →EU BPA Ban in Food Packaging: What Canadian Exporters Need to File
The EU's new regulation banning bisphenol A in food contact materials took effect July 20, 2026. If you're exporting packaged food or packaging materials to the EU market, your CAD commodity description and supplier certifications just became compliance checkpoints.
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