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.
Multi-Sourcing Into Canada: What Changes When Your U.S. Buyer Spreads Orders Across Vietnam, Mexico, and China
U.S. tariff pressure is pushing American importers to diversify supplier bases. For Canadian brokers and their clients, that ripple means more complex origin claims, split shipments across trade agreements, and tighter HS classification work when the same SKU arrives from three countries in one month.
Read article →What South Korea's freight rate subsidy tells Canadian importers about CBSA duty valuation
South Korea's government is subsidizing ocean and air freight to protect exporters from rising rates. For Canadian importers buying from Korea, the question is whether CBSA will add back those subsidies when calculating duty and GST on the Commercial Accounting Declaration.
Read article →Why U.S. Broker Liability Cases Don't Cross the Border (And What That Means for Canadian Importers)
The Montgomery SCOTUS case has U.S. brokers watching carrier liability rules closely. In Canada, the liability framework under the Customs Act is different—brokers file CADs on behalf of importers, but importers remain the party at risk for mis-classification, origin, and valuation. Here's how the two systems diverge and what Canadian compliance teams should care about.
Read article →CBSA EDI and eManifest Portal Delays: What Eight-Hour Outbound Lag Actually Means for Your Release Window
CBSA's Update 13 shows inbound EDI delays of one to three hours and outbound acknowledgements delayed six to eight hours. For brokers filing CADs under tight RPP windows or chasing RNS notices, that gap isn't noise—it's a forced waiting game that hits Friday afternoon filings and perishable releases hardest.
Read article →CBSA Outbound Message Delays: What the 1–3 Hour Lag Actually Costs You
CBSA's multi-day outbound messaging delay is still running. Here's what gets held up, what doesn't, and where the real cost lands if your release workflow depends on real-time electronic confirmements.
Read article →D10-15-29 update: why handbag classification still trips up CAD filers
CBSA just revised D10-15-29 for tariff classification of handbags, backpacks, and travelling bags under heading 42.02. The update clarifies outer surface material tests and typical use criteria that routinely sink misclassified CADs.
Read article →D23-1-1 Update: What Changed in the PIP Application Process and Why It Matters
CBSA revised D23-1-1 on April 28. The changes are mostly clarifications around documentation requirements and security profile updates, but the timing matters if you're planning a PIP application this quarter or managing FAST eligibility for your driver pool.
Read article →Port Houston Q1 surge and what it means for Canadian steel importers filing under CARM
Port Houston cleared 1M TEU in Q1 2024, with grain and energy cargo up but steel imports down. For Canadian importers buying U.S. steel or grain that transited Houston, the shift affects CUSMA origin claims, HS classification under SIMA, and RPP bond sizing when filing CADs through the CARM Client Portal.
Read article →Portal Messages Still Backing Up After CBSA EDI Outage
The CBSA's eManifest and EDI portal went down April 25. Eleven days later, transmissions are accepted but outbound messages are still delayed, the Systems Outage Contingency Plan remains open, and paper entries are still legal. Here's what that means for CAD filing and cargo release.
Read article →What OEM duty refunds mean for Canadian automotive importers filing CADs in 2025
Large automakers are claiming hundreds of millions in tariff refunds while still paying billions. Canadian importers of automotive parts need to understand how Section 232, CUSMA origin, and CBSA verification all stack up when filing Commercial Accounting Declarations under CARM.
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