Thompson Ahern E-News

News from Thompson Ahern: Weekly Updates

2012-01-27T18:41:00.000-08:00

An updated list of recently published government memorandums, notices, regulations and decisions for the week ending January 27, 2011 is now available on our website here.

Identity Theft: Just Who is it that is Picking up Your Cargo? – February 9, Mississauga

2012-01-23T03:13:00.000-08:00

(CIFFA eBulletin)

Please join expert legal and insurance panelists, colleagues and Directors from CIFFA’s National Board in an engaging morning discussion focused on some current issues facing freight forwarders, importers and exporters.

In the panel discussion  ”If Everything is Coming Your Way, You’re Probably in the Wrong Lane”  Canada’s leading transportation legal and insurance experts share their take on risk filled scenarios that should be top of mind as we head into 2012. When business people start taking short cuts, and things seem to be going just a bit too efficiently.... there may well be a price to be paid. By not following convention or best practices in the securement of bills of lading, or in the lack of due diligence or screening in the selection of interline or other carriers, things could go from not so great to worse. Invite your clients to join us as we explore two current issues in today’s commercial environment that are fraught with risk.

February 9, 2012   Delta Meadowvale Resort Hotel, Mississauga

$55 + HST        CIFFA Members and Guests

08:00 – 08:30    Full breakfast
08:30 – 10:00    Panel Discussion

Release of Cargo Without the Original Bill of Lading – Error or Fraud?

Exactly what are the consequences of releasing cargo before obtaining original BLs? What steps should the reputable forwarding company take to mitigate risks? We’ll review some of the commercial realities freight forwarders face every day – and the risks attached to those realities for freight forwarders and importers.

Identity Theft: Just Who is it that is Picking up Your Cargo?

The involvement of a surface transport freight intermediary and “double brokering” practices may present efficiencies in the movement of cargo but they also enhance the risk of the theft and of cargo not making it to destination. What is happening in the current market and what steps might be taken to prevent “identity theft”?

Expert Panelists:
Gordon Hearn, Fernandes Hearn LLP.
Gavin Magrath, Magrath O’Connor LLP
Len Notaro, CG&B Group

Register on-line today at: https://www.ciffa.com/events_register.asp

News from Thompson Ahern: Weekly Updates

2012-01-20T12:34:00.000-08:00

An updated list of recently published government memorandums, notices, regulations and decisions for the week ending January 20, 2011 is now available on our website here.

Importation of Non-Manufactured and Non-Propagative Wood Products from U.S. States

2012-01-20T12:31:00.000-08:00

(CFIA)

Subject: Importation of non-manufactured and non-propagative wood products from U.S. states where the Asian long-horned beetle (ALHB) (Anoplophora glabripennis) is known to occur (i.e., Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio).

The CFIA just published a new policy directive D-11-05, Phytosanitary requirements for non-manufactured and non-propagative wood products to prevent the introduction from the continental United States and spread within Canada of the Asian Long-horned Beetle, Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky).

Specifically, it governs the movement of logs, lumber, railway ties and wood/bark chips in the genera Acer (Maple), Aesculus (Horsechestnut), Albizia (White Silk), Betula (Birch), Celtis (Hackberry), Platanus (Plane or Sycamore), Populus (Poplar), Salix (Willow), Sorbus (Mountain Ash), and Ulmus (Elm) and firewood of all species.

Import requirements from the NON-REGULATED areas of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio for ALHB (as per US Federal regulations: 7 CFR 301.51) and from all other states:

No changes in import requirements.

Please note that the CFIA regulates only the US regulated areas for ALHB, as defined by USDA (7 CFR 301.51). The CFIA trusts that regulated articles leaving ALHB regulated areas will be accompanied by the proper documentation issued by US Officials.

Import requirements from the REGULATED areas of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio for ALHB (as per US Federal regulations: 7 CFR 301.51):

Effective February 1, 2012, the following requirements will apply for the importation of wood products from the US regulated areas of Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio, as defined by USDA (7 CFR 301.51):

*Host genera wood/Bark chips:
44.01.22.0122.01 Ulmus      44.03.99.0151.01 Ulmus
44.01.22.0122.03 Populus    44.03.99.0151.02 Populus
44.01.22.0122.04 Salix        44.03.99.0151.06 Salix
44.01.22.0122.10 Acer        44.03.99.0151.07 Acer
44.01.22.0122.11 Aesculus 44.03.99.0151.09 Aesculus
44.01.22.0122.12 Albizia      44.03.99.0151.10 Albizia
44.01.22.0122.13 Betula      44.03.99.0151.11 Betula
44.01.22.0122.14 Celtis       44.03.99.0151.12 Celtis
44.01.22.0122.15 Platanus   44.03.99.0151.13 Platanus
44.01.22.0122.16 Sorbus      44.03.99.0151.14 Sorbus

If the wood/bark chips originate from US regulated areas for ALHB (as per US Federal regulations: 7 CFR 301.51), a Phytosanitary Certificate, attesting that the chips are 1.5 cm in less is size in 2 dimensions, will now be required. If applicable, the addditional declaration related to gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) is still required.

*Host genera lumber/railway ties:
44.07.93 Maple                   44.06.10.0140.07 Ulmus
44.07.99.0134.01 Ulmus      44.06.10.0140.13 Populus
44.07.99.0134.02 Populus    44.06.10.0140.14 Salix
44.07.99.0134.03 Salix        44.06.10.0140.16 Acer
44.07.99.0134.07 Aesculus  44.06.10.0140.19 Aesculus
44.07.99.0134.08 Albizia      44.06.10.0140.21 Albizia
44.07.99.0134.09 Betula      44.06.10.0140.22 Betula
44.07.99.0134.10 Celtis       44.06.10.0140.23 Celtis
44.07.99.0134.11 Platanus   44.06.10.0140.24 Platanus
44.07.99.0134.12 Sorbus     44.06.10.0140.25 Sorbus

If the lumber/railway ties originate from US regulated areas for ALHB (as per US Federal regulations: 7 CFR 301.51), a Phytosanitary Certificate, attesting that the lumber/railway ties are heat treated or that they conform to 7 CFR 301.51, which regulates the movement of plant material from areas regulated for A. glabripennis, will now be required.

*Host genera logs:
44.03.99.0131.01 Ulmus
44.03.99.0131.02 Populus
44.03.99.0131.03 Salix
44.03.99.0131.14 Acer
44.03.99.0131.15 Aesculus
44.03.99.0131.16 Albizia
44.03.99.0131.17 Betula
44.03.99.0131.18 Celtis
44.03.99.0131.19 Platanus
44.03.99.0131.20 Sorbus

If the logs originate from US regulated areas for ALHB (as per US Federal regulations: 7 CFR 301.51), the importation will no longer be allowed. The importation of logs from the US regulated areas for ALHB will now be prohibited.

Firewood of all genera:
44.01.10.0120.00

An Import Permit is still required for the importation of firewood from Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. However, the importation will no longer be allowed from all areas in the state. If the firewood originates from US regulated areas for ALHB (as per US Federal regulations: 7 CFR 301.51), the importation will now be prohibited.

*Host Genera = Acer (Maple), Aesculus (Horsechestnut), Albizia (White Silk), Betula (Birch), Celtis (Hackberry), Platanus (Plane or Sycamore), Populus (Poplar), Salix (Willow), Sorbus (Mountain Ash), and Ulmus (Elm)

For all questions relating to these changes please contact:

Johanne Coulombe
Import Control and Enforcement Officer
Import control and Export Market information
Telephone: (613) 773-7240 Fax: (613) 773-7229 Johanne.Coulombe@inspection.gc.ca

Changing Pallet Rules to Add Costs of Shipping to Canada

2012-01-20T12:24:00.000-08:00

(The Packer – Tom Karst)

The U.S. and Canada are expected to change the requirements for wood pallets transporting goods between the two countries. Industry officials said the change will add costs for shippers and may stress supplies for shippers in both countries not already using heat-treated ISPM15 compliant pallets.

The proposed regulation on the requirements for wood packaging materials imported from Canada was published in December 2010, but the final rule has not yet been issued. The proposed rule eliminates an exemption allowing wood packaging material from Canada to enter the U.S. without first meeting the treatment and marking requirements required of wood packaging from all other countries. According to the proposal, removing the exemption is necessary to prevent invasive pests from entering the U.S.

“It was supposed to start last year, but the regulation did not get published and that’s why everything is on hold,” said Edgar Deomano, technical director for the National Wood Pallet and Container Association. Deomano said Canada is ready to enforce the regulation but is waiting for an agreement with the U.S. so the two countries can begin enforcement at the same time, he said. Read more here.

The End of Globalisation?

2012-01-20T12:14:00.000-08:00

(Export Development Canada – Peter G. Hall)

We’ve had a fair amount of time to think about a topic that surfaced before recession hit us just over three years ago. The end of globalisation is still being discussed, and the longer the world battles meagre growth, the more intense the conversation is likely to become. But does that suggest any particular outcome – is the fabric of international commerce really coming apart at the seams?

Multiple arguments for the end of globalisation have been made. Neo-protectionism in the early days of the recession was perhaps the most compelling argument. Fears of financial market contagion led to talk of more subtle regulatory forms of protectionism. Supply-chain risk – highlighted by last year’s devastating natural disasters – prompted re-thinking of the current globalisation model. Fears that globalisation is responsible for widening income disparity continues to feed globo-skepticism. And then there’s the sustainability argument: globalisation leads to sky-high commodity prices, which makes international shipment too expensive, leading to neo-localisation of commerce.

Data argue against globalisation’s demise. Global exports are up 6.5% through last October, almost double our projected world GDP growth for the year. Recent performance is uneven, but there are more regional zones that are well into the black than otherwise. Foreign investment has not been as promising, but as it typically lags the cycle, it is too early to pick on this indicator. Read more or watch the video here.

Argentina Prepares List of Capital Goods Subject to Higher Import Tariffs

2012-01-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

(MercoPress)

The Argentine government has began a round of consultations with the manufacturing sector to determine which capital goods from non Mercosur members can be listed for a higher common external tariff as was recently agreed by the trade block.

The Ministry of Industry contacted the Argentine Chamber of Industry Machinery and Equipment Manufacturers requesting they supply a list of products they consider a priority to be incorporated into the one hundred tariff positions to which Argentina will apply a higher common external tariff, in accordance with the latest Mercosur summit.

Capital goods manufacturers must also identify those products which they consider must be added to the non automatic import licence system or should be protected against dumping practices. Read more here.

For Every Regulation Created One Will Be Eliminated, Tories Vow

2012-01-20T12:04:00.000-08:00

(The Globe and Mail – Bill Curry)

The Conservative government is promising to ease the headaches of dealing with official Ottawa, with a pledge that any new regulation will be tied to an old regulation that will come off the books.

That is the most immediate action the Conservative government plans to take in response to a new report by a federal Red Tape Reduction Commission, chaired by Maxime Bernier, the Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism. Mr. Bernier and Treasury Board President Tony Clement released the report at a rural cabinet shop in the southeast end of Ottawa.

In December, the commission released an interim paper called “What Was Heard” that included extensive verbatim complaints and frustrations from Canadians about dealing with Ottawa. The comments covered everything from HST rules to the time and effort needed to apply for government programs like retrofit incentives to “the absolutely ridiculous” requirement to hang on to paperwork for seven years in case of an audit.

Ottawa is currently responsible for about 2,600 federal regulations. Read more here.

This notice provides information on the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA’s) new Mandatory Electronic Export Reporting Policy for exporters

2012-01-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

(CBSA)

1. This notice provides information on the Canada Border Services Agency’s (CBSA’s) new Mandatory Electronic Export Reporting Policy for exporters and explains how to report export data electronically when exporting goods by any mode of transportation.

2. In order to fulfill its mandate, the CBSA requires exporters to declare their export shipments destined to non-US destinations according to timeframes by mode.

a. marine – no less than 48 hours before the goods are loaded onto the vessel;
b. air – no less than two hours before the goods are loaded onto the aircraft;
c. rail – no less than two hours before the railcar containing the goods is assembled to form part of the train for export;
d. postal – no less than two hours before the goods are delivered to the post office where they will be mailed;
e. any other mode – immediately prior to the exportation of the goods.

3. Effective April 1, 2012, the CBSA will take steps to eliminate the manual reporting process form (B13A) for exporters and implement mandatory electronic reporting. The CBSA is now updating the applicable regulatory requirements to mandate electronic export reporting.

4. This policy direction does not impact exporters who have been approved to report their exports using the Summary Reporting Program option. In addition, when electronic permit reporting options are not available, the requirement to present a paper copy of the electronic export declaration and OGD permit at the CBSA office closest to the point of exit remains unchanged.

5. The receipt of electronic declarations from exporters will provide the CBSA and its partners with increased data quality and more accurate, consistent information. Electronic reporting aligns Canada’s Export Program with the reporting processes in other countries and is consistent with the overall direction of the CBSA’s commercial program.

6. Exporters will note several benefits from this change in policy: the elimination of the paper B13A and its preparation and processing costs; elimination of the requirement to physically present B13As at a CBSA office for stamping; expedite goods shipped via courier as these shipments would normally be held by the courier if the declaration has not been reported to the CBSA in accordance with the reporting timeframes.

7. There are two options available for exporters who choose to report electronically –
the Canadian Automated Export Declaration (CAED) and the G7 Export Reporting Electronic Data Interchange (G7-EDI). The CAED is a downloadable software available free of charge on the Statistics Canada website at:www.statcan.gc.ca/exp. The G7-EDI option requires an investment from the exporting company and provides a direct link to the CBSA’s ACROSS System. Information on becoming an EDI-G7 participant may be obtained at the following website: www.cbsa.gc.ca/eservices. To register, or if you require more information on how to report your goods electronically using CAED or G7-EDI, you may contact the CAED/G7 helpline at: 1-800-257-2434.

8. The implementation date is targeted for April 1, 2012. In order to provide exporters sufficient time to register for CAED or G7-EDI, the transition period will be in place until the regulations are implemented.

9. For additional information regarding this notice, please contact:

Canada Border Services Agency
Export Programs
150 Isabella Street, 10th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A 0L8

Telephone: 613-954-7160
Email: export@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca

CBSA Today: Commercial News for Stakeholders – Winter edition

2012-01-18T09:37:00.000-08:00

(CBSA)

What’s Inside:

Border Action Plan Initiatives – Enhanced Trusted Trader and Traveller Programs, Single Window, Integrated Cargo Security Strategy, Coordinated Entry/Exit Information System and Radio Frequency Identification Systems

Other Commercial News – Pre-arrival Review System and Electronic Data Interchange Sub-Committee, ISPM 15 requirements, Canada’s Gateway and Corridor Strategies, Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection, Mutual Recognition Arrangements, and Canada–European Union Joint Customs Cooperation Committee

Download it here: English • French

Done Right, Trade Deals Could Provide Important Boost to Agriculture Exports

2012-01-18T09:33:00.000-08:00

(Edmonton Journal – Joe Rosario)

Fueled by demand in emerging and developing countries, world agricultural exports have more than doubled in the past decade, from $551 billion in 2000 to over $1.3 trillion in 2008. The global recession took its toll with exports declining to $1.17 trillion in 2009 but they have since recovered vigorously. However, agricultural exports from Canada only increased from $35 billion to $54 billion during the 2000-2008 period.

Alberta paints an even more dismal picture. Our agricultural exports have been relatively stagnant over the decade — in the $5 billion- $6 billion range — except in 2008 when a sharp price increase for grains and oilseeds occurred. Of even greater concern is the stagnation (at around $3 billion) in value-added exports such as beef, pork, processed grains and oilseeds and consumer-ready products. World demand for such products has increased rapidly due to rising income, population growth and urbanization. Market-access restrictions are one important cause of Canada’s and Alberta’s relatively poor performance. Read more here.

What Budget Cuts to Foreign Affairs Might Look Like

2012-01-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

(Embassy – Sneh Duggal)

Travel, hospitality, and personnel cuts, downsizing or closing missions all on the table, say former employees

As the government looks to tighten its belt in budget 2012, it could be choosing any of several approaches to cutting the foreign affairs department, including cutting cars, personnel, hospitality services or programming, as well as shrinking Canada’s diplomatic footprint, say former diplomats.

The government is on a mission to balance its budget by 2014-2015 and is doing a spending review that aims to find at least $4-billion in annual savings from $80-billion of direct program spending. This would mean about $11-billion in savings by 2015-2016.

The government’s departments and agencies have been asked to provide scenarios of what a five per cent or 10% cut to their spending would look like, and the results of the review will be released in budget 2012, coming February or March. But CBC News reported on Jan. 9 that the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade is one of several departments to face an accelerated process that will find spending cuts crest higher, earlier.

So far, the government isn’t confirming that story, or much else about DFAIT cuts. A Treasury Board spokesperson wrote in an email that no decisions have yet been made. Read more here.

Consultation on Wine Labelling

2012-01-17T05:16:00.000-08:00

(CFIA)

Canadian Food Inspection Agency Seeks Comments on Proposed Regulatory Amendments for Wine Labelling

The CFIA is seeking comments on proposed regulatory amendments to the Food and Drug Regulations and the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Regulations and a new regulation under the Canada Agricultural Products Act about the labelling of wine prior to the changes being posted in Canada Gazette Part I.

For more information: http://bit.ly/zjwIZI

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) will be consulting with stakeholders regarding its regulatory frameworks in order to improve consistency and reduce complexity in regulation. For more information or to provide your feedback, visit here .

If you have any comments or questions, please email Amesika Baeta at abaeta@iecanada.com.

Mega Brands to Battle Lego in U.S. Court in California Over Trademark

2012-01-17T05:14:00.000-08:00

(Ross Marowits – The Canadian Press)

The world’s two largest construction toy companies could soon face off in a California court as Mega Brands seeks to invalidate Lego’s trademark for its plastic blocks.

The Montreal-based toy company is seeking a temporary restraining order to keep its products flowing into the United States.

Mega Brands (TSX:MB) said U.S. Customs and Border Protection plans to restrict the importation of some products sold in the world’s largest toy market for more than 20 years. Read more here.

U.S.-Canada Border Crossings Increase 5%

2012-01-17T03:48:00.000-08:00

(Detroit Free Press)

Border crossings increased about 5% in 2011 over the previous year at 11 U.S.-Canada crossing sites, but the modest increase will do little to end debate on the need for a new bridge between Detroit and Windsor.

In all, some 37.1 million cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles crossed the border at the 11 sites among Michigan and upstate New York. Passenger car traffic rose 6.6% to 30.3 million crossings, while commercial truck traffic was flat from the year before at 6.7 million crossings.

The Ambassador Bridge remained the busiest crossing by far, accounting for 4.6 million passenger car crossings and 2.6 million truck crossings. Read more here.

FDA Misses Deadline For Produce Regulations

2012-01-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

(The Packer)

The Food and Drug Administration missed a Jan. 4 deadline to issue produce safety regulations, as mandated by sweeping changes to food safety laws. The date marks the one-year anniversary of President Obama’s signing the Food Safety Modernization Act into law. Congress set the deadline for the FDA to issue updated good agricultural practices.

Despite some rumors that the FDA would make a big splash and introduce several regulations that day, the deadline came and went, although the agency released an update on food safety act work done in the last year. “Once Jan. 4 passed, every day could be (that day),” said Kathy Means, vice president of government relations and public affairs for Newark, Del.-based Produce Marketing Association. Read more here.

USDA Cuts Budget by Closing 259 Domestic Offices

2012-01-16T09:37:00.000-08:00

(Food & Drink Digital – Sasha Orman)

“We have to get our fiscal house in order,” U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack told reporters today in a conference call. “That’s going to involve tough calls.” One of those tough calls includes the USDA’s plan to shut down 259 offices throughout the United States and seven more overseas. While the plan could save the government $150 million and the USDA claims that it will have no impact on the department’s ability to efficiently uphold food safety standards, not everyone is satisfied with the decision. […]

According to Vilsack, the move is still necessary to compensate for the $3 billion budget cut handed down to the USDA from congress in 2010. But while he has told the press that he does not see “significant disruptions to service” in the USDA’s future, agencies are already being taken to task for their responsibilities to ensuring food safety. It is difficult to imagine that the USDA will be able to do even more when equipped with even less. Read more here.

Beijing Introduces New Rare Earths Export Quota

2012-01-16T09:32:00.000-08:00

(Bridges Trade Weekly)

The start of the new year has brought increased uncertainty regarding the 2012 global rare earths supply. Rare earths are used in essentially every area of high-tech production, including pharmaceuticals, military equipment, green energy technology, and information technologies.

In late December, Beijing announced its new export quota on the precious materials, which seem to suggest that the market could see a slight increase in exports throughout 2012. However, China has also introduced a new approach to allocating the quotas that could indeed reduce supply of the most precious materials.

As of 2012, Beijing will distinguish between the fairly accessible light rare earths and the most precious heavy rare earths, allocating only about 15% of the quota to the latter category. Read more here.

President Proposes to Consolidate Six Federal Trade Agencies

2012-01-16T09:26:00.000-08:00

(World Trade Interactive)

President Obama announced Jan. 13 a proposal to consolidate six federal trade agencies into one department whose function will be to “promote competitiveness, exports and American business.” The agencies affected are the Department of Commerce (core business and trade functions), the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the Export-Import Bank, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, the U.S. Trade and Development Agency and the Small Business Administration, along with “other related programs.” The current multi-agency structure is “redundant and inefficient,” a White House fact sheet said, and has resulted in business owners “confused about where to go for assistance and often … unaware of services that would help them, particularly those trying to break into the export market for the first time.” Instead, the president is proposing to establish “one department where entrepreneurs can go from the day they come up with an idea and need a patent, to the day they start building a product and need a warehouse, to the day they are ready to export and need help breaking into new markets overseas.”

Initial reaction to the proposal included a healthy dose of skepticism. Former trade officials disapproved of the idea of combining USTR and DOC because of their different roles in trade policy, and Inside US Trade noted that key lawmakers such as Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp have come out against such a move. Other observers noted that the proposal could harm international trade negotiations by demoting the U.S. trade representative from a Cabinet-level official with ambassadorial rank. The Washington Post cited one former official as saying the president’s proposal does not include many other agencies also involved in trade policy and that those agencies that are included “aren’t high on the list of ones that businesses typically complain about as inefficient or a source of burdensome regulation.”

The president said he would also ask Congress to reinstate authority given to past presidents to reorganize and consolidate the federal government, which he said he would only use “for reforms that result in more efficiency, better service and a leaner government.” The White House added that this proposal “would initiate new accountability by mandating that any plan must reduce the number of government agencies or save taxpayer dollars.”

Transmitting Accurate eManifest Cargo Data

2012-01-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

(CBSA)

PURPOSE:
The purpose of this communiqué is to advise clients transmitting eManifest highway carrier data to the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) of the importance of transmitting an accurate Cargo Control Number (CCN).

CBSA POLICY DECISION:
When the highway carrier and shipment arrive at the border, the driver is required to provide a lead sheet to the CBSA Border Services Officer (BSO). The lead sheet will contain:

• a bar-coded Conveyance Reference Number (CRN), or

• a bar-coded Cargo Control Number (CCN) with a handwritten CRN, or

• a handwritten CRN if an alternate bar-coded document is also being presented with the lead sheet [e.g. a Pre-Arrival Review System (PARS) document with a bar-coded PARS number].

The CBSA requires a bar-code to enable the BSO to quickly scan the number into the CBSA system and link to the data transmitted prior to arrival.

The carrier will either:

a) provide the driver with a bar-coded PARS number specific to each shipment so that the carrier knows which PARS number is being used and will also use the same number when transmitting their eManifest cargo data to the CBSA prior to arrival, or

b) the driver will contact the carrier as soon as a PARS number is used for a shipment (similar to how they notify the broker today), and the carrier will then know which number to electronically transmit to the CBSA.

It is very important that all carriers understand that when using PARS, the electronically transmitted CCN must exactly match the PARS number used on arrival at the border, inclusive of the acronym “PARS”, where applied.

For example, if the bar-coded PARS number that the driver provides at the border for a shipment is “1234PARS56789”, then the CCN that the carrier electronically transmits prior to arrival must also be “1234PARS56789”. It is not a requirement to embed the letters “PARS” into a PARS number, but if a carrier does embed letters into the PARS number the driver provides at the border, then the carrier must use the identical number in their eManifest electronic cargo transmission.

Clients are also reminded to pay particular attention when using the letters “I” and “O” and the numbers “1” and “0” in their CCNs or PARS numbers that they use the same letters/numbers when quoting the CCN in both the pre-arrival eManifest transmission and in arranging for the broker’s release documents.

Carriers will experience delays at the border when the transmitted CCN does not match the PARS number provided by the driver. Additionally, carriers who have Release Notification System (RNS) capabilities will not receive RNS messages. Inaccurate CCN transmission by carriers could result in sanctions for non-compliance.

Jailing Not Likely to Sway Opponents of a New Bridge

2012-01-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

(Detroit Free Press – Dawson Bell)

Billionaire Ambassador Bridge owner Manuel (Matty) Moroun had a bad day Thursday. But he probably doesn’t have to worry that being jailed for contempt of court improves the chance Gov. Rick Snyder will persuade the Legislature to approve construction of a publicly owned bridge a few miles downriver from Moroun’s crossing.

Opponents of the public bridge project, which is languishing in the state Senate after it was rejected in committee last fall, said Moroun’s incarceration was irrelevant to their concerns about Snyder’s proposal.

“How Matty Moroun conducts his business is not a major concern with our members,” said Ari Adler, a spokesman for House Speaker Jase Bolger, R-Marshall. “Our concerns are about the proposed new bridge, the need for it” and the potential that taxpayers could end up on the hook if it can’t pay for itself.

Amber McCann, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, who sponsored the bridge bill, said it was unlikely the views of lawmakers on either side of the issue would shift because Moroun and Detroit International Bridge Co. President Dan Stamper were jailed for contempt. Read more here.

Canada Posts Surprise Trade Surplus

2012-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

(Montreal Gazette)

Canada’s trade balance with the rest of the world unexpectedly swung into a surplus in November, as exports — led by energy products and automobiles — increased while imports declined.

Statistics Canada said Friday the country had a surplus of $1.07 billion during the month, compared with a revised $487-million deficit in October.

Most economists had expected a trade deficit of $500 million in November. Read more here.

Note: Summary statistics and links to the data files are on the Statistics Canada website here. Export and import price indexes can be found here.

U.S. Chamber’s Donohue Sees 2012 Growth of Less Than 3%

2012-01-13T08:29:00.000-08:00

(Bloomberg)

The U.S. economy will slow early this year from the pace at the end of 2011, then accelerate and finish with annual growth of less than 3 percent, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas Donohue said as the nation’s largest business group offered its forecast for 2012.

“America’s most pressing economic challenge is the lack of sufficient growth to create jobs, expand incomes, reduce government deficits, and fund essential programs,” Donohue said today in Washington during his annual speech on the state of U.S. business. [...]

Increased trade could provide more opportunities for growth, Donohue said. The proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with eight other nations can be completed this year, and free-trade accords are possible with Brazil, Egypt, India and Indonesia, he said.

U.S. businesses also will benefit from Russia being granted permanent normal trade relations after meeting conditions to join the World Trade Organization. Read more here.

Canada-U.S. Bridge: With Work Undone, Billionaire and Aide Jailed

2012-01-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

(LA Times)

The United States and Canada peacefully share the world’s longest border, but a bridge linking the two countries has prompted legal fireworks -- including the jailing of an 84-year-old billionaire and one of his top business aides.

Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Prentis Edwards on Thursday ordered Manuel “Matty” Moroun, 84, and Dan Stamper, an executive with Detroit International Bridge Co., to jail for failing to comply with deadlines to build freeway connections to the Ambassador Bridge, which links Detroit and Windsor, Ontario.

Both men were taken out of a Detroit courtroom and sent to jail until they comply with the judge’s order that they complete their contract with the state to build the connecting ramps. Read more here.

Berkshire Company Halts Exports to Canada Over Prison Labour Issue

2012-01-12T11:17:00.000-08:00

(Bloomberg-Vancouver Sun)

A Berkshire Hathaway Inc. building-materials unit said it voluntarily stopped shipping some flooring products to Canada after discovering the nation doesn’t allow importation of goods made with prison labor.

Shaw Industries Group Inc., based in Dalton, Georgia, learned in December that the hardwood-floor products can’t legally be imported to Canada, according to an e-mailed statement from Scott Sandlin, a company vice president. Shaw contacted Canadian authorities and halted the shipments to the country, he said. Read more here.