https://thewalrus.ca/canadas-toughest-border-crossing/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornwall_Island_(Ontario)
This has got to be the most complicated border crossing nowadays
, not so much to us foreigners but to Canadian locals who live on Cornwall Island. I crossed at this border crossing some 28 years ago on my first trip to Ottawa when things were much simpler, the Canadian customs was simply on Cornwall Island right over the US Border and before the first exit. Motorists went through customs before paying the toll to get over to Cornwall and Mainland Ontario, plain and simple just like every other border crossing. Now on account of the 2009 dispute mentioned in the article and Wikipedia, motorists must cross both bridge spans and deadhead straight to the new Canadian customs station now located fully on the Mainland while both bypassing Cornwall Island all together and even paying the bridge toll before you even arrive at customs. Pity the American motorist who paid the toll but got denied entry into Canada and must pay the toll again on the outbound side to get back to the US. Pity anyone who lives, works, or wants to visit Cornwall Island from the US. They must now complete the border crossing, check in at Canadian customs, and then U-Turn to get back to Cornwall Island. A violation of this rule means a $5,000 fine, vehicle impoundment, arrest, and possible incarceration. Anyone coming from the Mainland Canadian side who wants to visit or return to Cornwall Island must check in with Canadian customs each time they get back to the Mainland. If you're really confused by this, I suggest also looking at the Google Streetview and trying to make sense of it. The poor woman in the article quite obviously didn't. Rules are rules and if they are known, people ought to know better than to flout them but can you fully blame this individual who was in a hurry and wasn't entirely clear on directions? I sincerely hope an agreement is reached soon between the Akwesasne Mohawk and the Canadian Authorities because this new setup is clearly confusing for starters and hurting the Akwesasne Mohawks' livelihood but boy there are so many knots to untangle in the dispute that I would not know where they ought to begin.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
