REGIONAL— With just over three months until Canada completes its phase-out of its Remote Area Border Crossing Program, final details on how paddlers will gain access to the Quetico Provincial Park from the U.S. side remain uncertain.
“All we know for sure is that the RABC will no longer be valid,” said a spokesperson with the Canadian Border Services Agency, or CBSA, who spoke to the Timberjay this week. Currently, those holding an RABC permit can access Canada from the U.S. side, through designated remote entry points at Prairie Portage and Cache Bay, but those permits, and the program as a whole, will expire as of Sept. 14 of this year.
Those without active RABC permits have been unable to access the Quetico from the south for the past few years. The pending phaseout of the program should change that and allow users access across the border from designated locations through the use of a phone.
Canada already has a phone-initiated crossing system for certain travelers, mostly those crossing the border by boat or private plane. The CBSA spokesperson indicated that the system to be implemented later this year will operate similarly.
For now, the remaining question is which areas will be designated as access points for the phone-based system. Prairie Portage and Cache Bay are likely candidates, since they have been Canadian entry points from the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness for years. However, that decision has not yet been made officially. Presumably more information will be made available as the expiration of RABC permits gets closer.