Joint Can-Am customs facility opens at Alta. port

COUTTS, Alta. (Sept. 17, 2004) — Canadian and U.S. officials at the Sweet Grass, Mont.-Coutts, Alta. border have officially opened a joint $43 million crossing facility meant to improve communication and processing between the two countries.

Previously U.S. and Canadian ports were over 100 metres apart and officials communicated by telephone. Now the three-storey building, which straddles both sides of the border allows inspection officers and staff to interact and share updates much easier. The majority of the facility — including joint-use rooms — lies on the U.S. side however, as armed U.S. officers cannot cross the border with their guns.

The facility has taken four years to complete. The open house is a good sign for truckers and travellers which were experiencing slightly higher wait times due to the construction. An estimated 400 vehicles cross the border point daily.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony drew about two dozen demonstrators from the Canadian Customs and Excise Union who complained of a disparity in earnings between U.S. and Canadian officials. Canadian inspection agents at land ports across the country have been staging work-to-rule demonstrations since July.

— with files from Associated Press


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