Canada takes a very dim view of Americans coming into the country and doing
any work. They may have been determining if what you were there for was
"work".
jm
-----Original Message-----
From: Stan Halpin
Sent: Sunday, February 19, 2012 8:12 PM
To: Pentax-Discuss Mail List
Subject: Re: OT - Canadian photographer denied entry to USA
As Paul said, it works both ways. In the mid-to-late '90's I was a co-chair
of a NATO research committee. We put together a Workshop (the presentations
from which eventually became a book; and thus is world peace achieved). My
Canadian colleagues in the group organized and hosted the workshop at
Canada's counterpart to West Point in Kingston Ontario. So I went early,
hung around New York's Finger Lakes district visiting relatives, then drove
my rental car to Kingston via I-81 north, then the Macdonald-Cartier Freeway
back southwest. A nice trip expect for the border crossing into Canada. "Why
are you here?" the boarder guard queries. "To attend a NATO Workshop at the
Royal Military Academy in Kingston" I replies. I fully expected a "Welcome,
glad to have you here!" Instead I got a half-hour interrogation, careful
scrutiny of my official U.S. Army travel orders, my official invite to the
workshop on official Canadian Government stationary, my passport, my I.D
card, etc. I don't know if it was because I wasn't wearing a suit, if it was
the beard, if it was my coming in from upper NY even though I was based in
Kansas . . . Maybe he was having a bad day. But my colleague who flew
directly from KC via Toronto had a similar experience in Toronto, and he is
cleancut and appears to be much more trustworthy.
stan
On Feb 19, 2012, at 8:05 AM, Paul Stenquist wrote:
It does work both ways. Both countries are protective of their job base.
When I worked for Young & Rubicam and again when working for BBDO, I
sometimes collaborated with Toronto offices on creative projects. I often
had trouble crossing the border in Windsor. I had to say I was going to
the Toronto office for a meeting and sign documents saying that I wouldn't
do any work. Flying in it was even worse at the Toronto airport, where
long interrogations and detailed body and luggage searches were common. If
I had creative material to bring with for discussion, I had to ship it.
On Feb 18, 2012, at 11:51 PM, steve harley wrote:
on 2012-02-18 14:36 P. J. Alling wrote
I think this says it in a nutshell, (I'll paraphrase since I didn't
bother to
copy and past). " you wouldn't want a Canadian stealing an American job
from a
Mexican..."
i believe it works both ways — i had a memorable experience receiving a
similar sentiment from Canada; traveling from Maine into Quebec in 1981,
i hitchhiked up 201, got a ride with a Canadian man and turned his
routine border crossing into a 90-minute interrogation & search ... i was
barefoot and had only a student ID; i was told $400 in traveler's checks
wasn't enough for my planned 21 day crossing to Vancouver, and Canada
didn't want another homeless youth on its streets ... but i stuck to my
story and somehow i was eventually let through; i am ever grateful to my
ride — he stuck around and put up with a few indignities himself, and
finally dropped me in Quebec City that night
(i boarded a ferry to leave Victoria more or less on schedule; have since
entered Canada many times without trouble)
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