Which specific remote crossings were covered by Canada’s RABC program and where will telephone reporting sites be located?
Executive summary
The Remote Area Border Crossing (RABC) program covered a set of defined, largely water‑borne and northern land crossings — primarily in northern Ontario (including specific sites such as the Sault Ste. Marie upper lock system and remote lake crossings from Lake Superior toward Rainy and Rainy‑Lake areas) and the U.S. “Northwest Angle” into southern Manitoba — and the program will be replaced by a telephone‑reporting regime whose specific designated sites have not yet been finalized (travellers will be required to report either at a staffed port of entry or at a designated telephone reporting site) [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. What the RABC actually covered: named zones and typical crossings
The RABC historically allowed approved Canadian and U.S. residents to enter Canada at defined remote locations without presenting first at a staffed port of entry, and the program’s coverage has been described by the CBSA as “remote areas of northern Ontario” and specific remote crossing points such as the Sault Ste. Marie upper lock system and a series of lake and river crossings that link Lake Superior across toward Rainy Lake and the Boundary Waters region — routes used by boaters and cabin owners between the U.S. and Canada — as well as crossings from the U.S. Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba [1] [2] [5] [3].
2. Geographic footprint: lakes, locks and the Northwest Angle
Reporting across outlets and CBSA material makes clear the program’s footprint is concentrated on water and very remote land crossings in northern Ontario (including the upper lock at Sault Ste. Marie and remote Lake Superior to Rainy Lake corridors commonly used by anglers, outfitters and seasonal residents) and also covers the peculiar U.S. enclave known as the Northwest Angle, where travellers enter southern Manitoba from Minnesota — the CBSA framed this as “remote areas of northern Ontario or from the Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba” [1] [2] [3] [6].
3. Who used RABC and how that shaped the covered crossings
CBSA and media reporting note roughly 11,000 permit holders used the RABC annually, about 90 percent of whom were U.S. residents, emphasizing why the defined crossings are concentrated in cross‑border recreational and cottage‑country waterways and sparsely populated northern corridors rather than regular land ports [7] [8]. The program’s lists and the BSF386 permit form tie permissions to those enumerated remote areas, meaning a permit was valid only at the specified crossings named by the agency [5].
4. What’s changing: telephone reporting replaces permits, but site locations remain pending
The CBSA announced the RABC will be phased out and replaced with telephone reporting effective Sept. 14, 2026, and said travellers entering through the former RABC areas will henceforth have to report either in person at a port of entry or via a designated telephone reporting site; existing RABC permits were extended to remain valid until Sept. 13, 2026 [3] [4] [9]. Crucially, the agency has not published a final list of telephone reporting locations: it says new reporting sites will be chosen “in consultation with Indigenous communities, local businesses and law enforcement partners” and that locations will be decided in the coming months [7] [10] [6].
5. Practical implications and what remains unknown
The practical takeaway for travellers is immediate and concrete — the geographic areas formerly serviced by RABC are northern Ontario remote crossings (Sault Ste. Marie upper locks, Lake Superior/Rainy Lake corridors, Boundary Waters crossings) and the Northwest Angle into southern Manitoba — but the precise physical locations where people will now be expected to phone in (the “designated telephone reporting sites”) have not been finalized or publicly listed by CBSA as of the agency’s December 2025 announcements; until CBSA publishes the site list travellers must either keep using valid RABC permits until they expire or report in person at a staffed port of entry [1] [2] [7] [4]. Some secondary outlets report expectations that the CBSA will publish a list in early 2026, but that remains an external summary of CBSA timelines rather than a published CBSA list at the time of reporting [8] [7].
6. Alternative views and local concern
Local businesses, U.S. lawmakers and tourism operators have reacted with concern about added friction and uncertainty for outfitters and seasonal property owners who relied on RABC crossings, and these stakeholders have pushed for clarity on exactly where telephone reporting stations will be located — a political and commercial pressure the CBSA says it will consider during consultations before finalizing sites [11] [12] [6]. Those sympathetic to CBSA’s rationale note the switch is intended to “enhance border integrity” and align reporting with existing telephone‑oriented reporting schemes elsewhere in Canada and with U.S. Customs practices for remote entries [3] [6].