The future of Remote Area Border Crossing Permits (RABC) remains unknown, with Canadian officials telling Paddle and Portage they “don’t have any new information to share at this time.”
That was the message sent Nov. 3 from Rebecca Purdy, a senior spokesperson from the Canada Border Services Agency. Any active RABC permits remain valid until Dec. 31.
In September 2024, the Canadian government “paused the processing of new and renewal applications” for the RABC program that allows travelers to cross into certain remote parts of the Boundary Waters region.
During the past year, and particularly now with the expiration deadline approaching, paddlers, property owners on the border lakes, and local businesses who operate on these waters are left in the dark when it comes to knowing what will happen to RABC permits for 2026 and beyond. The frustrations stem from uncertainty about business finances and planning, to people concerned about being allowed to access property they own in Canada.
The RABC permits allow U.S. citizens to cross into Canada on some border lakes, from Lake Superior over to Rainy Lake, without stopping at a customs checkpoint such as the Pigeon River entry point in Grand Portage. These permits cost about $35 to process and must be renewed annually.
In February, Canada extended most existing permits under the Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) Program. In a statement sent to Paddle and Portage in February, CBSA announced it “extended the validity of all permits issued after Sept. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2025, at no charge to members. No action is required on the part of the permit holder, the existing permit will be accepted as valid until Dec. 31, 2025.”
Visitors from Saganaga Lake at the end of the Gunflint Trail to the Moose Lake area on the Ely side of the wilderness (among other access points) use RABC permits to access Quetico without having to cross the border at a port of entry, such as Pigeon River.
P&P reached out to Quetico Park officials this summer to see if visitation is down this year at Cache Bay and other entrances to the park on its southern border. Park officials confirmed that visitation was down significantly, likely due to a lack of new RABC permits being issued. Outfitters from the end of the Gunflint Trail to the Ely area echoed the same sentiment, noting that motorized tows taking people to drop-off locations for access to Quetico were far less than usual over the paddling season that is now all but complete for the year.
The RABC system has been in place for decades and has been effective in facilitating border crossings for individuals who live in remote areas and are unable to check in at an official point of entry, according to U.S. officials. It is also utilized by paddlers who enter Quetico Provincial Park from the end of the Gunflint Trail and other locations in the BWCA Wilderness, including via the Moose Lake area near Ely.
As the cloud of uncertainty lingers, property owners and business owners from the end of the Gunflint Trail to the Ely area have continued to reach out to elected officials in Minnesota, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Pete Stauber, in hopes of any insight into the future of RABC permits. Ultimately, it’s Canada’s decision to make.
Proving the challenges of garnering any relevant information on this matter, Paddle and Portage reached out to the public affairs team at the office of Beth Richardson, Canada’s consul general in the Upper Midwest. A staffer from her office responded to P&P Nov. 3 and said, “We have sent your request to the media relations team at CBSA,” which is the same agency that only hours earlier responded to a request for an RABC update by saying there was, in fact, no update to share.
