FREDERICTON, N.B. (April 22, 2003) — A New Brunswick MP is telling Ottawa that it’s about time truckers in his province start living in the FAST lane too.

Atlantic media report that Tobique-Mactaquac MP Andy Savoy and the Atlantic trucking industry are pressuring the government to bring the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) program to the Woodstock-Houlton border crossing, saying it would keep the region’s trucking industry competitive. Savoy is requesting a meeting with Canada Customs and Revenue Agency Minister Elinor Caplan to discuss the proposal further.

FAST is a bilateral program between Canada and the U.S. which streamlines pre-approved goods and drivers at the border, and expedited clearance through dedicated FAST lanes whenever possible. To date there are only six FAST border points: Detroit/Windsor, Ont.; Buffalo, N.Y./Fort Erie, Ont.; Lewiston, N.Y./Queenston, Ont.; Port Huron, Mich./Sarnia, Ont.; Champlain, N.Y./Lacolle, Que.; and Blaine, Wash./Pacific Highway, B.C.

Without an office or processing centre in any of the Maritime provinces, it has been very difficult for Atlantic-based drivers to register for FAST, says Ralph Boyd, president of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association. Even if the new FAST location doesn’t provide dedicated lanes right away, at least drivers would be able to comply with FAST requirements like fingerprinting, digital photographs, and personal interviews, Boyd said.

-with files from Telegraph Journal