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.
CFIA Pet Food and Pharma Gland Certificates from the UK: What Changed and What You Need on File
CFIA released a new certificate template for raw inedible animal by-products from the UK—glands for pharma use, pet food ingredients. The certificate format changed; the AIRS conditions changed. If you're importing these lines, your permit and phytosanitary documentation stack just got simpler.
Read article →eManifest Portal Forced Re-Logon June 13–14: What Breaks When the Session Drops
CBSA's scheduled eManifest portal maintenance June 13–14 will force re-logon twice. If your broker files cargo control updates or ACI corrections manually through the portal, expect session interrupts at 06:00 ET both days. Here's what that means for weekend release windows and Monday inbound.
Read article →TCC26-0090 Closed: CBSA EDI and eManifest Outage Grace Period Ends June 16
CBSA's six-week EDI and eManifest outage contingency plan ended June 9. The AMPS grace period for transmission contraventions runs through June 16. If your broker filed paper or used workaround methods during the outage, now's the time to confirm all cargo-control records reconcile before penalty enforcement resumes.
Read article →U.S. Steel Tariffs and What They Mean for Canadian Importers Filing CADs
U.S. steel import volumes dropped 30 percent in 2026 as domestic tariffs pushed production onshore. Canadian importers of steel products face new HS classification questions, SIMA compliance checks, and CUSMA origin verification when sourcing shifts south of the border.
Read article →U.S. tariff frontloading and what it means for Canadian CAD filings
U.S. importers are pulling spring volume forward to beat new tariffs, which means Canadian brokers are seeing re-routed freight, earlier CUSMA origin questions, and tighter vessel windows into Montreal and Vancouver.
Read article →What U.S. tariff refund fights mean for Canadian importers claiming drawback
The DOJ is appealing court-ordered Section 301 refunds south of the border. Canadian importers with U.S.-origin goods moving through Canada or claiming drawback on re-exports should check whether their D-memoranda and CAD duty calculations still line up with cross-border preference programs.
Read article →CBSA Extends UBC 2026 SIMA Investigation Timeline to 135 Days
Canada Border Services Agency stretched the preliminary dumping and subsidy investigation on Chinese unarmoured building cables from 90 to 135 days. If you're importing electrical wire or cable assemblies near HS 8544.49 or 8544.42, here's what the extension means for provisional duty exposure and release holds.
Read article →CFIA Consolidates Import Pages: What Actually Changed for CBSA Release and OGD Coordination
CFIA merged its National Import Service Centre page and scattered commercial import guidance into a single portal. The consolidation helps, but OGD hold resolution still bottlenecks release when your broker files the CAD before CFIA clears the cargo control number.
Read article →CUSMA certification cost and admin burden catching small importers off-guard
Small Canadian importers who certified under CUSMA to dodge U.S. tariffs are now finding that broker certification fees, documentation requirements, and record-keeping obligations cost more in time and cash than they expected—sometimes more than the tariff itself would have.
Read article →IID and DIF Maintenance June 10: What the Three-Hour Queue Actually Means for Your CAD Filings
CBSA is holding IID and DIF submissions from 03:00 to 06:00 ET on June 10, 2026. Most brokers will never notice. A few will miss release windows, pay detention, or scramble to explain a Friday delay they could have filed around Thursday night.
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