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.
Six Weeks of Rising Freight Rates: What the Spot-Market Surge Means for Your CAD Costs
Container spot rates on transpacific lanes have climbed for six consecutive weeks, pushing peak season forward and forcing Canadian importers to recalculate duty deposits, RPP bond sizing, and release timing under CARM.
Read article →How U.S.–China Maritime Fee Disputes Change Canadian Importers' Transpacific Duty and Routing Math
Proposed U.S. port fees on Chinese-built vessels and retaliatory container surcharges may push more transpacific cargo north through Canadian ports. Canadian importers using CUSMA supply chains with U.S. components, or relying on stable baseline ocean rates for duty-paid landed cost, should review HS classifications, RPP bond adequacy, and Montreal / Vancouver routing now.
Read article →Why forwarder margin pressure matters for Canadian import compliance
When your freight forwarder cuts corners to protect margin, the compliance risk moves straight to your CAD filing and CBSA audit trail. Here's what to watch.
Read article →CFIA Feed Admissibility Updated in AIRS — What Changed and What You File Now
CFIA published updated feed admissibility requirements in AIRS on June 11, 2026, tied to the final phase of the Feeds Regulations, 2024. If you import livestock feed or feed ingredients, your PRN coding and end-use declarations just changed. Here's what brokers are filing today.
Read article →HMM's Feeder-Fleet Expansion and What It Means for Canadian Import Routing
HMM is rebuilding its intra-Asia feeder network after pivoting capacity to transpacific during the Covid peak. For Canadian importers sourcing from Southeast Asia, this shift will change port-pair options, transit times, and the documents you file on your CAD.
Read article →Zero-emission drayage and Canadian customs clearance: what importers need to know
California port corridors are piloting zero-emission truck fleets, and Canadian border terminals are watching. Here's how green drayage mandates, chassis scarcity, and extended gate hours interact with CARM filing windows, RPP release, and sufferance warehouse scheduling.
Read article →AI Agent Adoption in Canadian Customs Clearance: What Import Compliance Teams Should Actually Expect
AI tools are appearing in freight and brokerage operations, but their practical utility for Canadian customs clearance remains narrow. A working broker's view on where automation helps CAD filing, HS classification, and origin reviews—and where it doesn't.
Read article →CBSA Systems Outage Contingency Ends June 16: AMPS Penalties Resume in Full
The CBSA ended its systems outage contingency plan on June 9, with a one-week grace period on AMPS penalties expiring June 16 at 23:59 ET. If your broker was filing under relaxed transmission rules during the outage, the clock just restarted on full enforcement for ACI, eManifest, and CAD data errors.
Read article →CFIA AIRS Chapter 05 Update — UK Animal-Origin Goods End-Use Conditions Changed June 10
CFIA modified import conditions for UK-origin animal products under HS 0510 and 0511 on June 10, 2026. If you're filing CADs for bile, glands, or bone stock from the UK, your AIRS end-use permit logic just shifted.
Read article →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.
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