CBSA says prepare for May long weekend delays at U.S. border

The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) is reminding travellers to plan ahead when crossing the U.S. border this May long weekend.

To avoid delays, the agency says have all your travel documents handy, try to cross in the early morning hours at less-popular ports, and — as much as possible — avoid crossing on the holiday Monday.

When re-entering Canada, the CBSA says you should be prepared to declare everything you have with you.

“If you are a resident of Canada, personal exemptions allow you to bring goods, including alcohol and tobacco (up to a certain value), back to Canada without paying regular duty and taxes. Make sure you know how much you are bringing back in Canadian dollars and have your receipts readily available for the officer,” CBSA said.

Since the imposition of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods, Canada has imposed counter tariffs. As a result certain items may be subject to a 25 per cent surtax in addition to regular duties and taxes.

For Canadian residents, the surtax applies only to goods exceeding the personal exemptions limit. You can consult the lists of products surtaxed online.

Delays caused by heavy traffic at the border on Victoria Day might not reach historic highs Monday, as Canadians have reportedly cut back in travel to the U.S. amid the trade war.

A report by Statistics Canada says In April, the number of Canadian-resident return trips by road to the U.S. totalled 1.2 million, marking a steep decline (-35.2 per cent) from the same month in 2024.

“April 2025 marked the fourth consecutive month of year-over-year declines,” said Statistics Canada.

Traffic reports and border wait times are available on the The Leader Spirit Vancouver website.

Listen live to 1130 NewsRadio Vancouver every 10 minutes on the ones for traffic updates. You can also follow us on X @NewsRadioVAN and subscribe to Traffic Alerts as they happen, sent directly to your inbox.

—With files from Maria Vinca