Canadian and U.S. business groups have joined forces to propose ways to smooth traffic across a border they complain is getting "thicker, stickier and more costly.”

“We urgently need to find ways to reduce costs for legitimate cargo and travellers," Canadian Chamber of Commerce president Perrin Beatty said in a statement.

The Ambassador Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit is often festooned with trucks as border delays snarl U.S.-Canada trade.
(CBC)

Beatty's organization and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce issued 28-page report Wednesday backed by more than 40 groups representing interests as diverse as American trucking executives and Canadian wine makers.

"This report recognizes and fully embraces post-9/11 security realities," it said, but "we also believe that we can keep our borders closed to terrorism yet open to trade."

More than six years after the attacks on New York and Washington, border snarls have not been untangled and costs are near a breaking point, the report said.

"The summer of 2007 saw the longest delays since 2001 for U.S.-bound traffic at many land-border crossings," it said.

"Delays of up to three hours were not uncommon even at some border crossings not known for extensive wait times. Yet during 2007, at Ontario–U.S. land crossings, the volume of commercial and passenger vehicles was down almost four per cent."

For a start, the business groups hope to see greater use of trusted shipper and pre-approved traveller programs. These include the U.S. Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) transponder system and the NEXUS border travel card.

"The more participants in these programs, the more border officials can focus on identifying illegitimate cargo and travellers — the aim of all the security measures," the report says.

Among other recommendations:

• Canada and the United States should ensure that rail and truck cargo inspected, cleared and secured at a Canadian port is not subject to further inspections at the U.S. border.
• The two countries should let carriers without dedicated cross-border truck fleets have a pool of FAST transponders they can assign to vehicles as needed.
• The U.S. government should immediately waive its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) fees for all participants in trusted shipper programs such as C-TPAT and FAST.
• Border agencies on both sides should make a priority of offering full 24-hour service at all major crossings, ensuring that border booths, secondary inspections and border-related support services operate around the clock, seven days a week.

As things stand, the border is an expensive roadblock, the document says.

"Canadian and U.S. businesses are very concerned about the associated costs of complying with new and expanded border security programs, often with duplicative requirements. These programs are layered on top of each other, adding to the complexity and cost of moving goods and people across our borders," the report said.

"One company reported an annual expense of $1 million US because of the inspections and delays from increased security measures coupled with participation in trusted shipper programs," the document noted.

"Clearly these costs are reaching the breaking point and risk becoming an unmanageable burden on Canadian and U.S. job producers. It is in neither government nor industry’s interests to create or maintain a business environment that encourages the work and jobs to move offshore."