Trade News

Decision and reasons issued Thursday, December 22, 2011 IN THE MATTER OF an appeal heard on September 22, 2011 pursuant to subsection 67(1) of the Customs Act, R.S.C. 1985 (2d Supp.), c. 1; AND IN THE MATTER OF eight decisions of the President of the Canada Border Services Agency, dated January 26, 2011, with respect to a request for re-determination pursuant to subsection 60(4) of the Customs Act. BETWEEN CE FRANKLIN LTD. Appellant

The following is excerpted from 23 December 2011 news release by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird today announced new sanctions on Syria’s Assad regime in response to its ongoing and escalating repression of Syrians: “Despite increased international condemnation, the senseless violence against the Syrian people continues to claim lives.

Enclosed please find a service update from CN. If you would like to see the original web page, including a map of the affected areas, please visit: http://www.cn.ca/service. U.S.A. - IOWA/NEBRASKA OPERATIONS - CN had no access to our yards at Council Bluffs, IA and Omaha, NE since early June; some of our trackage was compromised by washouts and flooding that occurred earlier.

Further to CBSA's previous message, CBSA is currently experiencing a delay of 3 hours in processing Electronic Releases. This is also affecting CFIA EDI releases. At this time we are unable to determine when service will be restored, however, we will keep you informed as information becomes available. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and would like to thank you for your cooperation. Contact Times and Phone Numbers:

The following is a CBSA message (EDI11-090). We are currently experiencing a delay of 3 hours in processing Electronic Releases, RNS, CSA, ACI Marine, ACI Air, ACI eManifest Highway as well as Rail and Highway Cargo. This does not impact CADEX and CUSDEC B3 processing.

CBSA has released the following information on 22 December 2011 addressing PIP members. Please be advised that effective March 1, 2012, the current International Organization for Standardization (ISO) mechanical seal standard (ISO / PAS 17712) will be replaced with a new ISO standard – ISO 17712:2010. The new standard has the following compliance requirements:

The following is a 22 December 2011 notice from the Government of Canada. The Government of Canada has launched an on-line consultation on Open Government and is inviting all Canadians to participate. The consultation will continue until January 16, 2012 and can be accessed from the Open Government web site at: http://www.open.gc.ca/index-eng.asp.

The following is a statement from Alan D. Bersin, Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection released December 22, 2011.

HS classification and its compliance implications have been recognized by the CSCB and CBSA as a priority for education and training. As a result of our shared recognition of its importance and our ongoing collaboration on this subject area, we are pleased to announce that Vancouver will the site of the next CBSA/CSCB seminar on HS Classification on Monday, February 6, 2012.

The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today issued the following statement on the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia’s proposed trade restrictions on seal products: ...“The Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia has proposed trade restrictions on seal products.

The following message is from CFIA. The purpose of this message is to inform stakeholders that as of January 1, 2012, updated HS codes, as drafted by the World Customs Organization (WCO) will be implemented. These updates will affect the CFIA AIRS coding structure, and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Tariff codes. The AIRS system will incorporate the new coding structure on January 1. Information on changes to the HS codes can be found on the WCO web site at:

All of us at the CSCB national office in Ottawa wish you and your loved ones all the best for a safe and peaceful holiday season. May 2012 be a year of health, happiness and prosperity for you! ---- Joyeuses Fêtes de la part de la SCCD!

The following is excerpted from today's Winnipeg Free Press. VIC Toews had an anti-union reputation as Gary Filmon's labour minister in the late 1990s but at least one union is now ready to embrace him. The union that represents front-line customs and immigration officers issued a news release Wednesday praising Toews -- the public safety minister responsible for the Canada Border Services Agency -- for killing a proposal to close or reduce hours of operations of small and remote border crossings.

The following is excerpted from today's American Shipper. Test transmissions and processing of electronic sea and rail manifests for the new Automated Commercial Environment are going well, putting U.S. Customs and Border Protection on track to soon transition transportation providers to the new system, the agency announced Friday.

The following is excerpted from today's Journal of Commerce. Customs and Border Protection may allow exporters to join a voluntary supply chain security program, and Japan, Colombia and Costa Rica are onboard for a test run of the program. Trucking companies operating in Mexico and Canada may also be able share in tiered benefits through the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism. Participants in the program, established in 2002, usually receive fewer cargo inspections, which lowers import costs.

Canadian government announces faster, more convenient air travel to the United States for passengers and their baggage… For more details, please visit the Transport Canada website at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/mediaroom/releases-2011-h136e-6590.htm

On December 7, U.S. Customs and Border Protection hosted a free webcast of the Advisory Committee on Commercial Operations of Customs and Border Protection (COAC) meeting. CBP is hosting webcast events to provide timely and up-to-date information to the international trade community on CBP trade policies and regulations. The COAC webcast was recorded and is now available for on-demand viewing for 30 days. To view the recording or documentation presented during the COAC meeting, please click on the following link:

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning the public not to consume the Serrano peppers described below because they may be contaminated with Salmonella. The affected fresh Serrano peppers, imported from the USA, were sold as follows: Unlabelled from bulk at Safeway stores and various independent grocery stores in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Saskatchewan and Yukon, between December 5 and 20, 2011, inclusively...

The following are now available on the CBSA Web site: Customs Notice 11-025, January 1, 2012 Version of the Departmental Consolidation of the Customs Tariff http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publications/cn-ad/cn11-025-eng.html

The CFIA Fish List has been updated, as follows: Acipenser brevirostrum has been added to the list: http://active.inspection.gc.ca/scripts/fssa/fispoi/fplist/fplist.asp?la…