Ottawa is touting shorter travel times for trusted passengers and fewer missed flights as it starts to roll out the details of Canada’s new border security deal with the United States.The government is urging citizens to apply for Nexus cards, which offer quicker movement through streamlined security checks.
Canada and the United States are aligning their systems so Nexus users will be able to skip to the front of lines as they cross the border. Cardholders still must be screened but are able to jump ahead of other travellers and skip some steps like consulting with a border agent when they return home.
Nexus cards were already in limited use for domestic and some overseas flights but were not recognized by American systems.
On the flip side, Canada is switching to American standards for scanning baggage.
The Canada Border Services Agency will buy new high-tech baggage scanning devices on par with what is used there so that bags screened when departing Canada will not be re-screened when a traveller connects to a different plane in the United States.
"It will mean that you can book tighter connections to U.S. cities and hopefully your bags will actually make it on the same plane that you do once you get to the U.S.," said Cumberland-Colchester-Musquodoboit Valley MP Scott Armstrong on Thursday at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.
Armstrong was one of seven government MPs making simultaneous announcements at airports across the country that will be the first to see the new systems put in place.
The plan is to implement the changes within three years, but so far the government has not released any information on the cost of the border security deal.
Halifax airport spokesman Peter Spurway said Thursday he does not believe travellers will face any new fees to pay for the new baggage scanners. Spurway said the costs will be borne by border patrol agencies, while the airport will just provide the space.
"This cuts down connection times," said Spurway.
"It makes travel planning easier and reduces the overall security load on the system."
Spurway said people without Nexus cards will not be negatively affected.
Though the cards are used by some frequent flyers, airport staff say a very small portion of travellers in Nova Scotia use them.
The cards cost $50 and need to be renewed every five years. Applicants fill out a request form online and must undergo a thorough background check. If the applicant passes, they then go to Halifax airport for an interview with security staff and an iris scan.
The Halifax International Airport Authority predicts increased cross-border traffic over the next decade and is planning to build a new departures section to handle increased travel to the U.S.
About 300,000 travellers cross between Canada and the U.S. through the Halifax airport each year, making up about 10 per cent of the facility’s total traffic.
Other airports that will see the changes over the next three years are in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
More announcements are planned around changes to sea and land travel between the two countries.
The border security deal signed between Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama this fall involves lowering security checks at the border while tightening security in ports at the edges of the continent.
Original Article
Source: the Chronicle Herald
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