January 23, 07

NEWS / Few holdups on first day of passport requirement

It was smooth flying at Canadian airports Tuesday on the first day new security regulations came into effect requiring anyone entering the U.S. via air to have a passport or NEXUS Air Card.

Border officials reported no major holdups, noting passengers who arrived without a passport were treated "on a case-by-case basis."

U.S. officials have already said they??™ll make an exception for snowbirds wintering in the U.S., should they need to travel back to Canada in an emergency.
Beverly Leifer, port director of Ottawa preclearance at the Ottawa International Airport, said by mid-afternoon Tuesday, only one passenger had arrived without a passport. That passenger was cleared for travel after border officials determined their citizenship and identity.

Leifer noted border officials will use interview techniques, document review and database queries to determine if the passenger will be admitted into the U.S.

It was a similar situation at Pierre Elliott Trudeau in Montreal, where about 3,500 passengers travelled from Montreal to the U.S., and six or seven of them had no passports.

"This was a non-event event," said John Dickson, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, speaking to reporters in Montreal Tuesday. "I??™m very happy to tell you that everything went OK. There were no problems."

U.S. Ambassador David Wilkins, meanwhile, urged Canadians to "take a deep breath" over the air portion of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, and to accept the security measures rather than grumbling over them.

Wilkins said it??™s in Canadians??™ best interests to stop trying to defeat the travel initiative and accept "we live in a post 9/11 world." He added the new regulations will ultimately benefit travellers by making the border "smarter and more secure."

"It??™s a fairly significant day," Wilkins said Tuesday from Calgary where airport officials reported few problems.

The new passport rules only affect air travel. Canadians will be able to travel to and from the U.S. by land without a passport until sometime between January 2008 and June 2009.

David Kriger, who was also flying to the U.S. from Ottawa, agreed the time had come for the new regulations.

"If you go to Europe, everyone has a passport," said Kriger, who has been a frequent international traveller.

It was smooth sailing for U.S-bound travellers leaving Vancouver International Airport Tuesday. U.S. consul-general Lewis Lukens said by midday, nearly 2,000 Canadians had left Vancouver for U.S. destinations, and only three arrived at the gate without passports. All three were allowed to continue on their trips after a quick screening of their documents.

In Regina, it was business as usual, said airport officials. "Not one person has come today without a passport," said Lindsay Mosiondz, Northwest Airlines??™ customer service supervisor. "Everyone??™s got a passport."

The new passport requirement has caused a crush at passport offices across the country. In Vancouver, an estimated 300 people were waiting at one passport office when the doors opened at 7:30 a.m.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokeswoman Cherise Miles said American officials understand there is a backlog of passport applications in Canada, and they??™re taking that into account by easing in the new requirement.

"No one is being detained or turned back," said Miles. "Today, they are being advised verbally and given a written advisory (about the new passport requirement)."

Canadians allowed to travel without a passport still need documents such as birth certificates and picture identification, she said.

Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, Regina Leader-Post and Vancouver Sun

Tags: document, birth certificate, birth certificat, birth certificates,