Canada Border Check Point

[Rail Freak]

Will they allow you to bring Booze & Snacks across the border?

Thanx

 

[Everydaymatters]

I don't know about the booze, but whatever you take across you have to declare. I had only snack-type food and it was never even mention at the check point.

 

[Jim G.]

•Bringing Alcohol Into Canada - Visitors

Visitors to Canada are allowed to bring small quantities of alcohol into Canada without paying duty and taxes. There are minimum age requirements depending on the province or territory in which you enter Canada. Except in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, you can bring in amounts more than your personal allowance by paying duties and taxes, but those amounts are limited by the province or territory in which you enter.

 

[the_traveler]

There are some foods that are allowed, but many are not. Fresh fruit is one item! I don't know about into Canada, but coming into the US you are allowed 1 liter of liquor (or I think 1 six pack - but I could be wrong about that) duty free.

A funny story is that coming home from Japan a few years ago, my sister picked up an apple at the lounge in Tokyo to eat on the way back to Chicago. She never did and was caught with it.

She had to throw it out! The ironic think - the apple was from WASHINGTON STATE!

 

[Rail Freak]

I guess I should also ask if you can bring your own booze on board the Canadian?

Thanx

 

[Jim G.]

Respectful and Safe EnvironmentVIA Rail is proud to provide its passengers and employees with a respectful and safe environment. The following disrespectful or unsafe behaviour will not be tolerated on board VIA Rail trains and in stations:

Endangering the safety of others or the safe operation of a train

Verbal or physical abuse

Threat, harassment or intimidating behaviour

Intoxication and/or disorderly conduct

Consumption or distribution of personal alcoholic beverages or illegal substances such as narcotics

Disregard of smoking regulations

Carrying a weapon or a false declaration that you or any other person is carrying a weapon

In case of disrespectful or unsafe behaviour, transportation may be refused. Police may also be asked to intervene and offenders may be prosecuted.

Note line 5. Looks like the answer is no.

Additional information...Personal alcohol allowed in personal rooms.

 

[Jim G.]

Alcoholic beverages---The consumption of alcoholic drinks on trains is governed by the laws of the province in which the train is travelling.

You can purchase alcoholic drinks aboard most trains. For more information, visit the page on your train and your class of service.

Personal alcoholic drinks, i.e. ones that you did not buy on the train, may be consumed only in sleeping car cabins. Provincial laws forbid passengers from consuming personal alcoholic drinks elsewhere on the train.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Will they allow you to bring Booze & Snacks across the border?

From my (non-train) experience, snacks would need to be in a factory sealed container. For example, the chips would need to be an unopened bag.

 

[Anderson]

I ran into a similar food situation coming back from Hawaii many years ago (this was like 1998 or 1999, IIRC) with the food not being allowed into the airport. That was doubly obnoxious because it wasn't even an international flight, and it was coming from Hawaii.

Then again, I had to go through that wacky checkpoint on I-15 my way into California one time...that is one thing that I suspect is outdated. [/rant]

 

[guest]

I guess I should also ask if you can bring your own booze on board the Canadian?

Thanx

Its a long way across Canada without your boozw RF.

 

[Gord]

I guess I should also ask if you can bring your own booze on board the Canadian?

Thanx

Yes, but only if you have sleeping accomodation and consume it there. You can't consume it elsewhere in the train. Most jursidictions allow personal consumption as sleeping car space is considered temporary accomodation, much as your hotel room is.

Most fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, fish and nuts are banned going either way across the border. Coming from Canada, you can bring fruits across the border such as Washington state apples, bananas or Sunkist oranges but identification as to US origin such as stickers MUST be left on, otherwise, into the garbage they go.

Gord

 

[guest]

Almost anything packaged is OK, like Hershey bars and the like. But be careful if you've got Cuban cigars on you! They might not make the trip successfully! Remember it's all for enhancing US security and our huge domestic cigar industry!

 

[Devil's Advocate]

A funny story is that coming home from Japan a few years ago, my sister picked up an apple at the lounge in Tokyo to eat on the way back to Chicago. She never did and was caught with it. She had to throw it out! The ironic think - the apple was from WASHINGTON STATE!

Dave, there is nothing to prevent an invasive species from finding its way into a country through an export/import loop.

I ran into a similar food situation coming back from Hawaii many years ago (this was like 1998 or 1999, IIRC) with the food not being allowed into the airport. That was doubly obnoxious because it wasn't even an international flight, and it was coming from Hawaii.

Stop and think about this for a second. Are invasive species more likely to stop at imaginary political boundaries that are completely invisible to them, or are they more likely to stop at oceans far too large to fly/drift over or swim/float across?

Then again, I had to go through that wacky checkpoint on I-15 my way into California one time...that is one thing that I suspect is outdated. [/rant]

The only thing that's outdated about that thinking is that average Americans could grasp simple concepts like invasive species propagation. They couldn't, they didn't, and now the checkpoints are gone because the war against pests was already long since lost on that front. So we simply redrew the battle lines. Recently we've been attempting to control pests with widespread use of persistent pesticides that are likely to be a primary cause of Colony Collapse Disorder in pollinating bee populations.

 

[jis]

Almost anything packaged is OK, like Hershey bars and the like. But be careful if you've got Cuban cigars on you! They might not make the trip successfully! Remember it's all for enhancing US security and our huge domestic cigar industry!

Anything that is sealed well enough so that a Beagle cannot smell it would appear to be OK AFAICT, unless of course something is found in a regular Customs baggage search after you win the lottery for the same.

Generally light baggage proportionate to the length of the trip and absence of very "exotic" locations visited reduces likelihood of winning said lottery.

Jishnu.

 

[Anderson]

A funny story is that coming home from Japan a few years ago, my sister picked up an apple at the lounge in Tokyo to eat on the way back to Chicago. She never did and was caught with it. She had to throw it out! The ironic think - the apple was from WASHINGTON STATE!

Dave, there is nothing to prevent an invasive species from finding its way into a country through an export/import loop.

I ran into a similar food situation coming back from Hawaii many years ago (this was like 1998 or 1999, IIRC) with the food not being allowed into the airport. That was doubly obnoxious because it wasn't even an international flight, and it was coming from Hawaii.

Stop and think about this for a second. Are invasive species more likely to stop at imaginary political boundaries that are completely invisible to them, or are they more likely to stop at oceans far too large to fly/drift over or swim/float across?

Then again, I had to go through that wacky checkpoint on I-15 my way into California one time...that is one thing that I suspect is outdated. [/rant]

The only thing that's outdated about that thinking is that average Americans could grasp simple concepts like invasive species propagation. They couldn't, they didn't, and now the checkpoints are gone because the war against pests was already long since lost on that front. So we simply redrew the battle lines. Recently we've been attempting to control pests with widespread use of persistent pesticides that are likely to be a primary cause of Colony Collapse Disorder in pollinating bee populations.

The issue I have with the HI situation is that IIRC, that rule exists primarily to protect Hawaii from stuff that got into the US, not the other way around. It was also obnoxious, IIRC, having to fill out a set of customs forms on what is legally a domestic flight. That said, I can see some argument for this at least one way.

The California situation is a bit more of a head-scratcher for me. I know the state makes the point about the Sierras and Mojave getting in the way of invasive species problems, but at the very least the Oregon side of things seems to me to be pretty open (i.e. any species that gets into Oregon can wander on down the coast/through some of the passes). With that said, this really does seem to be (as you said) a case where the battle is likely already lost...or, in a lot of areas, was not winnable in the first place (or at least not without efforts that outweighed net benefits).

Also, I would remind you that by and large these are the same average Americans who can't comprehend the need for funding for public transit in some major cities because of population densities, as well as some of the same average Americans who commute an hour or more into a city in Texas because rhe land is so flat that the suburbs keep going and going.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Also, I would remind you that by and large these are the same average Americans who can't comprehend the need for funding for public transit in some major cities because of population densities, as well as some of the same average Americans who commute an hour or more into a city in Texas because rhe land is so flat that the suburbs keep going and going.

True, no doubt about it. I used to think my country was better and smarter than all the others. Until I did some actual research and found we're already way behind the curve in many ways and quickly falling further and further behind. Not just in passenger rail but in many other areas as well. I have no problem with people who have alternative ideas for how to deal with the various issues and problems that life presents us, I just can't stand it when people intentionally avoid doing anything at all. Not sure why that bothers me so much, but it does.

 

[trainman74]

Then again, I had to go through that wacky checkpoint on I-15 my way into California one time...that is one thing that I suspect is outdated. [/rant]

The only thing that's outdated about that thinking is that average Americans could grasp simple concepts like invasive species propagation. They couldn't, they didn't, and now the checkpoints are gone...

The California agricultural checkpoints are still there (although I haven't had to actually stop at one since 1995 -- I've been waved through, most recently on the way back from Vegas a couple months ago).

 

[NS VIA Fan]

You go through an Agriculture Canada inspection when leaving the island of Newfoundland by ferry. They ask you to open your trunk to see if you’re carrying any plants and if your car is particularly dirty, it will be washed and floor mats vacuumed. It’s the soil they don’t want carried to the North American mainland as it may contain a potato wart fungus.

 

[zephyr17]

You can bring in a reasonable amount of liquor into Canada (a few liters, total, IIRC), and you can consume your own liquor on Via in your own private room (not berths), similar to Amtrak. Bring in sealed, unopened, bottles.

I recommend buying your hooch supply for the trip on the US side of the border. I thought Washington state had expensive booze until I went to buy liquor for my trip on the Canadian in BC. OUCH. BTW, they apparently don't sell airline minis, at least in BC, and didn't see any in Ontario either.

 

[bretton88]

Then again, I had to go through that wacky checkpoint on I-15 my way into California one time...that is one thing that I suspect is outdated. [/rant]

The only thing that's outdated about that thinking is that average Americans could grasp simple concepts like invasive species propagation. They couldn't, they didn't, and now the checkpoints are gone...

The California agricultural checkpoints are still there (although I haven't had to actually stop at one since 1995 -- I've been waved through, most recently on the way back from Vegas a couple months ago).

I've had to stop at one as recently as 2005 in Winterhaven. They have gone to random checks now to speed that process up. So vehicles like RV's are more likely to be stopped than a personal car.

 

[Ispolkom]

You can bring in a reasonable amount of liquor into Canada (a few liters, total, IIRC

You can bring in 1.14L of spirits, 1.5L of wine,or 24 bottles or cans of beer, without paying any duty. From here.

I'm betting that 1.14 liters = 1 Imperial quart. Zephyr17 is correct about Canadian liquor prices. They are startlingly high.