News Release

National 2007

NEXUS expands to the Sault Ste. Marie border crossing

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, October 31, 2007 - The Minister of Public Safety, the Honourable Stockwell Day, announced today that a dedicated NEXUS lane and enrolment centre opened at the Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario/Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan border crossing.

“Canada’s New Government is proud that NEXUS is expanding at the land border in Sault Ste. Marie,” said Minister Day. “This dedicated NEXUS lane will enable both Canadians and Americans to travel quickly and securely between Canada and the United States.”

“This program is a common-sense and modern way to strike the right balance between enhanced security and faster, more efficient travel between our countries,” said W. Ralph Basham, Commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

“Our government is committed to a safe and secure border,” said the Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, Minister for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario and Member of Parliament for Parry Sound–Muskoka. “I’m proud that Sault Ste. Marie is the seventh city in Ontario to offer NEXUS in the land mode, and travellers across the region will be able to enjoy the benefits of this program.”

The new enrolment centre will also make it more convenient for residents in the Sault Ste. Marie region to apply to the program.

NEXUS is a joint Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection program that is designed to simplify border crossings for pre-approved travellers. In the land mode, NEXUS members are allowed to use NEXUS lanes at various locations when travelling across the Canada–U.S. border.

There are currently 14 land border crossings that offer NEXUS. In Ontario, NEXUS lanes can be found in Niagara Falls, Windsor, Fort Erie, Sarnia and now Sault Ste. Marie. NEXUS is also available in the air and marine modes.

The United States has proposed that a NEXUS card serve as an alternative to a passport for travel by land and sea under the U.S. Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). The U.S. WHTI air rule already recognizes the NEXUS card as an alternative document to a passport when travelling by air to the United States.

For more information, please visit the NEXUS Web site at www.nexus.gc.ca.

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For media information:

Mélisa Leclerc
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Stockwell Day
Minister of Public Safety
(613) 991-2863

CBSA Media Relations - Northern Ontario Region (including Nunavut)