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 System Maintenance and the Perishables Penalty
CFIA's routine maintenance windows are usually harmless, but when they hit business hours or run long, perishable imports pay the price. What to pre-clear and when it matters.
Read article →Furniture Sets and Unassembled Pieces: D10-14-38 Gets a Rewrite
CBSA is consolidating two furniture classification D-memos into one. If you import flat-pack or sets, check whether your current HS codes align with the updated policy before your next CAD filing.
Read article →U.S. West Coast Volume Surge: What Canadian Importers Need to Know About Cross-Border CAD Filing
Port of Long Beach hit record June volumes despite trade uncertainty. For Canadian importers using U.S. transload routes, that means tighter CBSA scrutiny on cross-border CADs, stricter CUSMA origin documentation, and RPP bond recalculations you should run now.
Read article →When Your Broker Asks What the Furniture Is Made Of
A Brampton restaurant just paid $25,000 for importing rosewood pool tables without CITES permits. Most importers don't know their goods contain regulated species until CBSA flags them at examination. Here's how to clear wood, leather, and coral goods without the fine.
Read article →CFIA End-Use Codes: The CAD Filing Detail That Holds Shipments
A July CFIA update added twelve new end uses to a single HS code for live clams. That's a niche change, but the operational pattern it exposes — missing or wrong CFIA end-use declarations delaying CBSA release — hits every first-time importer of CFIA-regulated goods. Here's how it actually works at the border.
Read article →CITT Rules Injury on Truck Bodies from China—AD/CVD Collection Starts Now
The Canadian International Trade Tribunal found injury to the domestic truck body industry from Chinese dumping. Anti-dumping and countervailing duties are now enforceable on subject imports at the border.
Read article →Container Rate Volatility and Your CBSA Duty Filings
Ocean freight rates just hit a two-year high. That number flows through every Commercial Accounting Declaration you file, every RPP bond calculation, and every landed-cost decision your finance team makes. Here's what working customs brokers are watching.
Read article →GIP No. 83 Aluminum Amendments: What Changed and What Your CAD Needs Now
CBSA tightened information requirements for aluminum imports under General Import Permit No. 83. If you bring in aluminum products from China or other listed countries, your CAD filings now need additional data points. Here's what that means for compliance and release timing.
Read article →Import Permits Don't Backfill — Why ICL Goods Stuck at CBSA Cost More Than the Permit Fee
CBSA updated D19-10-2 on Import Control List procedures. The permit workflow hasn't changed, but CARM-era enforcement has. Missing a GAC permit before your goods land means release stops, demurrage starts, and your customer's line doesn't wait.
Read article →Product Compliance Software and the CAD Filing Gap
Assent's acquisition of IPOINT highlights a gap many Canadian importers face: product compliance data lives in one system, customs declaration data in another. For automotive and electronics importers filing CADs under CARM, that disconnect slows release and raises AMPS risk.
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