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.
Canada–Philippines FTA talks and what they mean for your CUSMA origin strategy
Minister Sidhu just confirmed Canada accepted the Philippines' invitation to start FTA negotiations. If you're sourcing electronics, garments, or processed food from ASEAN and claiming CUSMA origin on assembly in Mexico or Canada, this is the time to model tariff exposure under a direct-import scenario.
Read article →Cargo claims and CBSA release: why documenting damage before clearance saves recoveries
When imported goods arrive damaged, the timing and quality of your documentation determines whether you recover full value or absorb the loss. We walk through how CBSA release procedures, RPP bonds, and cargo-claim liability intersect at the border.
Read article →D4-1-5 Storage of Goods: April 2026 CPI Adjustment and What Changes for Sufferance Filers
CBSA just updated D4-1-5 with April 2026 CPI-indexed storage fees. The rates went up, the fourteen-day clock is still unforgiving, and importers relying on sufferance need to check their documentation and bond coverage before the next container lands.
Read article →New CFIA Armenia Fish Certificate: What It Means for Canadian Exporters and Re-Export Programs
CFIA just finalized a new sanitary certificate for fish and seafood exports to Armenia. If you run a re-export program or handle bonded goods at Canadian sufferance facilities, the paperwork trail just got easier—but only if you catch the classification and origin details upfront.
Read article →Tariff Front-Loading Into Canada: What Happens When Panic Shipments Hit CBSA Clearance
Freight volumes into Canada are spiking not from organic demand but from tariff panic. The customs clearance side is where the real pressure sits: rushed CAD filings, thin CUSMA origin claims, and RPP bond ceilings that weren't sized for a surge. Here's what we're seeing at the border.
Read article →U.S. Section 122 tariff litigation and the Canadian CAD filing question
U.S. importers are weighing lawsuits against Section 122 tariffs ruled illegal by the Court of International Trade. Canadian brokers filing CADs under CARM face parallel questions: when a tariff is contested or ruled invalid, how do you declare origin, file duty corrections, and manage RPP bond exposure? We walk through the mechanics.
Read article →Victoria Day 2026: TCCU Office Closure and What It Means for Your CAD Filing Window
CBSA's Technical Commercial Client Unit closes Victoria Day, Monday May 18, 2026. EDI, CERS, and eManifest transmissions keep running, but production support drops to after-hours staffing. Here's how to plan around the holiday if you're releasing cargo that weekend.
Read article →Victoria Day 2026: what closes, what runs, and how to file around it
CSCB national office shuts Monday May 18. CBSA commercial operations stay open. If you're filing CADs or arranging release that week, here's what actually changes and what doesn't.
Read article →CARM Client Portal Maintenance Window Saturday May 16th, 0300–0700 ET: What You Can't File and What Still Clears
CRA is taking the CARM Client Portal registration and enrolment functions offline Saturday morning May 16th for four hours. No new BN15 registrations, no new importer enrolments, no new RPP bond applications. If you have a new client that needs to clear Monday, file the paperwork by end of business Friday or wait until Sunday.
Read article →CBSA Pushes the 2026 Power Transformer Admin Review Schedule — What Korean and Taiwanese Imports Actually Need to File
CBSA revised the admin review schedule for SIMA duties on small and large power transformers from Iljin Electric (South Korea) and Shihlin Electric (Chinese Taipei). If you're importing subject goods under NRM or filing proof of exclusion, the filing window and evidentiary deadlines just shifted.
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