Canadian Business Aviation Association

MEMORANDUM

Issues raised by the Canadian Business Aviation Association – Spring 2012

This memorandum provides further information on issues raised in 2012 at the bi-annual meeting between the Canadian Business Aviation Association (CBAA) and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)/

ITEM 1: Morningstar Partners Ltd. – Issues with use of Corporate CANPASS account

Earlier in 2012 an issue occurred where a member of Morningstar Partners carrying a Corporate CANPASS account was incorrectly advised by a CBSA agent that the account no longer covered all members listed under the account and that fractional members of a corporation were to have their own CANPASS accounts. CBSA officials verified that a mistake had been made and criteria for CANPASS Corporate members as it appears on the CBSA website is correct but had been wrongly applied/misinterpreted. The CBSA agent involved in the erroneous decision as well as the Telephone Reporting Center (TRC) was advised of the proper interpretation of the policy. The CBSA has also verified that the members list for corporate CANPASS is up to date for this particular client with the exception of three pilots that do not appear on the CBSA list. The client is looking into this discrepancy on his end.

ITEM 2: Pilots accountability for reporting of passengers and goods

As per Section 148 (1) Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), all transporters are obligated to ensure that all passengers on board are in possession of prescribed documentation necessary to enter and remain in Canada and are required to provide this documentation to the CBSA, regardless of whether the passage involves a single owner/operator carrier, a charter air carrier or a large airline company. This function is performed by the transporter prior to departure, and in case of small aircraft, it is the pilot who ensures that all passengers have the appropriate documents for entry into Canada and as per Section 4 (1) of the Presentation of Persons (2003) Regulations, advance notification of arrival is required. Telephone reporting procedures must be adhered to for all general aviation/corporate aircrafts coming into Canada.

When reporting on goods, transporters who report to the CBSA by telephone are responsible to provide advance notice on goods carried on board and their description, including value and quantity, under the Reporting of Imported Goods Regulations. This includes all goods carried by the pilot, the passengers, and any equipment on board the aircraft that is not part of the aircraft unit.

The CBSA will continue to work toward a technical solution to allow for an alternate reporting mechanism as is the case in other jurisdictions, the United States, where passengers can make declarations individually using smart phones. Given the Information Technology (IT) implications, the CBSA is still some time away from being able to deliver alternate smart solutions to resolve this issue.

ITEM 3: CBSA service at St. Leonard Airport

Historically, the St. Leonard Airport had Airport of Entry/CANPASS (AOE/C) status however, it was removed in 2006 at the request of Mr. Claude Emery of the St. Leonard Airport Authority, because CBSA services were no longer required. Mr. Emery was notified at that time that future reinstatement of the AOE/C designation may not be possible and airport management accepted this situation.

The CBSA has discussed the issue with Regional officials and inquired about providing service to the St. Leonard Airport instead of the Edmunston Airport. The issue is that the Edmunston Airport is serviced by the Edmunston Port of Entry (POE), located less than 10 minutes from the airport and has the appropriate capacity to provide service as needed to the airport. The St. Leonard POE has significantly fewer officers and current resource levels would make it difficult to service the St. Leonard Airport, even on a call out basis. However, the CBSA will commit to looking more specifically at this case as it conducts its review of service at small airports and makes recommendations for service changes based on demand and resource.

ITEM 4: Charlo Regional Airport’s cost recovery-fees

The CBSA and the Charlo Regional Airport signed a cost recovery agreement for the period of May 1 to October 31, 2011, for the clearance of unscheduled general aviation (non-CANPASS flights) carrying less than 15 people. The CBSA’s Atlantic Region has confirmed that the CBSA went out a total of six times from June 9 to August 3, 2011 to clear flights. The costs varied from $797 (highest) to $390 (lowest) according to the number of passengers cleared and locale where officers were deployed from. These variables caused a fluctuation in recoverable costs.

ITEM 5: Hamilton TRC ‘Musak’

BC Campbell provided a summary of feedback received from pilots. Specifically, that the dead space on the Hamilton TRC leaves pilots wondering whether they are on hold or the call has ended. He indicated this has been an issue for years and a resolution would be a win –win situation for both parties.

The CBSA recognizes this service short-fall and is in the process of making changes to its TRC network. In the coming year, it will upgrade the existing telephone system. With this upgrade, Musak will be provided; the new telephone system is anticipated late in 2012 or early next year.

ITEM 6: Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (E-APIS) v/s US E-APIS

Electronic Advance Passenger Information System (E-APIS) members would like to see the CBSA offer something similar to the US E-APIS which helps facilitate electronic data entry for reporting purposes and allows someone other than the pilot to send the required information. The CBSA is looking at practical, technical means of facilitating reports to the CBSA. However, the CBSA is facing some challenges with these more modern approaches given the current IT platform the CBSA operates on is shared with the Customs Revenue Agency (CRA) and as such will require more time to find a solution. However, it remains committed to finding practical solutions in this domain and will raise this issue specifically with CBSA IT as a priority item.

ITEM 7: Trusted Travellers Programs and national service consistency

Two issues were raised by the CBAA. Firstly, to eliminate the confusion on the Trusted Traveller Programs (CANPASS Air/Corporate CANPASS) and lock on a program (CBAA recommends NEXUS) permitting the associated benefits of trusted travellers’ communities to truly simplify their border crossings.

The CBSA has passed this information on to relevant officials and starting this year, for a variety of reasons, including the Beyond the Border Initiative with the United States, there will be significant changes to NEXUS and on ‘trusting the trusted traveller’.

The second issue of national consistency of service provision across small airports is a feature the CBSA will raise with the Air Services Improvement Working Group (ASIWG) as an item to be discussed and resolved. Consistency of service provision is an important priority of the CBSA and is also an underlying feature of the Service Improvement Plan.

ITEM 8: Client Service training for new officers

This year, as a result of the CBSA’s vision of service excellence, the CBSA will be building in a number of additional hours of Client Service training into the new Officer Induction Training Program that will be launched in the fall of 2012. Operations Branch will also be pursuing Client Service training for existing staff following a pilot course on service excellence delivered in Winnipeg this past winter. In addition, the CBSA has started discussions with the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) on a partnership to gather client information so that it can better assess current levels of client satisfaction and institute corrective measures.

ITEM 9: TRC information on delays conveyed to the Front-line

CBAA members indicated that occasionally pilots will call the TRC with revised estimated times of arrival but the information does not always make it to the clearing officers. This results in either delays to meet the airplane or officers arriving ahead of time and waiting for the plane to arrive. The situation causes frustration and inefficiencies for both parties. This has been raised with the Director responsible for the TRC, and changes will be forthcoming to address this within operational procedures.

ITEM 10: CBAA/ National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) Survey

The CBSA provides border clearance services for people and goods at close to 1,200 locations across Canada. Approximately 10% of these locations are dedicated to general aviation traffic, which include private, corporate and CANPASS flights. As the CBSA continuously strives to improve its services and better understand the needs of aircraft operators, we invited the CBAA and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) members to participate in a survey to help us improve our services. The survey was distributed on April 25, 2012 with the opportunity to complete the survey until June 8, 2012. The Survey yielded 83 responses and results will be analyzed in June 2012. The CBSA will use the results of the survey to inform the small airports review and address recurring service issues in this community.

In closing, I would like to thank you for your continued assistance to the CBSA and for bringing issues to our attention that require mutual co-operation.

Glenda Lavergne, Director General
Border Operations Directorate

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Please provide any comments you have to Merlin Preuss, VP Government and Regualtory Affairs at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it by 31 May 2012.

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