I've crossed into Canada twice, both times awful. The first time (crossing from Detroit, heading towards Toronto) required having my entire car searched. The people were extremely unpleasant. Probably took close to an hour at the border. Coming home through Buffalo took two seconds. Second time was heading to Montreal from NYC and the guard was just generally a dick. Again, returning home, the guard was very friendly and advised us of some bad weather.
Maybe there's a system to the dickery, but probably not. I think border guards are generally hit or miss, regardless of their country.
> Maybe there's a system to the dickery, but probably
> not. I think border guards are generally hit or miss,
> regardless of their country.
I generally find that I've had fewer bad experiences by avoiding the Ambassador Bridge (Detroit), the Peace Bridge (Buffalo), and the Lewiston-Kingston Bridge (north of Niagara Falls).
The only bad experience I had with Canadian Border Officers was at the Lewiston-Kingston Bridge.
To me, this seems to make sense. These crossings are higher traffic than the other crossings (Rainbow Bridge, Detroit-Windsor Tunnel) in those areas. There may be more pressure on the guards at those crossings to be extra cautious, or they just might find people trying to pull stupid stuff more often (which re-enforces the idea that anyone is a potential 'evil-doer').
The other pattern that I've noticed is that most of the officers with chips on their shoulders reek of ex-military, whereas the more reasonable people don't give off that vibe.
I wouldn't be surprised if there is a system and your name popped. Years ago, going through US customs wasn't a big deal for me. Now, I've got loads more stamps and visas in the passport I get questioned more, every time. They'll ask about countries I've been in 20-25 flights ago. I give them the "fuck if I know" face.
Legally, they can't prevent me from entering the US, but they sure love to slow me down.
I've crossed into Canada twice, both times awful. The first time (crossing from Detroit, heading towards Toronto) required having my entire car searched. The people were extremely unpleasant. Probably took close to an hour at the border. Coming home through Buffalo took two seconds. Second time was heading to Montreal from NYC and the guard was just generally a dick. Again, returning home, the guard was very friendly and advised us of some bad weather.
Maybe there's a system to the dickery, but probably not. I think border guards are generally hit or miss, regardless of their country.