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Fishing in Canada? Bad Idea If You Have A DUI

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It could well have happened several decades in the past, but a DUI offense even as far back as from the 1970s can be good for a negative surprise for people that want to visit Canada. Being denied admission because of an age-old DUI offense might seem absurd in such cases where people were already going to and back from Canada for many years. A good example would be all those in the United States that love to go to Canada to pursue their favorite hobby: Fishing.

This is the story of Bob Hohman, a 54-year-old computer network security analyst from Roseville, Minn.

After two drunken driving offenses in the 1970s, Hohman said he quit drinking. He had no qualms about disclosing the convictions in 2004 on a questionnaire at the Canadian border station in Walhalla, N.D., where he and his brother tried to cross on the way to an annual goose hunt.

When the border agent saw these entries, he informed me that I would not be allowed to enter Canada,? Hohman said. ?I was kind of astonished. I was like, “C’mon, all of a sudden, I’m not worthy to be in your country?'”

This case shows how risky it can be to simply rely on luck every time a trip to Canada is being planned with DUI offenses in the way that sometimes could have occurred many decades back. As the example above demonstrates, a person might have been allowed to the country multiple times already, but relying on such luck would not be the smartest thing to do.

Hobby fishers in the United States are already acting on the increasingly more strict background checks at the Canadian border:

Some fishing parties who have had a member denied entry into Canada have wound up at the Thunderbird Lodge on the U.S. side of Rainy Lake, said Mary Jane Haanen, co-owner of the lodge.

Source(s):
http://www.fishingbuddy.com/entering_canada_with_years_old_dui_conviction

Do not just blindly rely on your luck the next time you plan to go to Canada. A DUI on your record might turn your planned fishing excursion to Canada into a very unpleasant experience.

 

Denied Entry To Canada Due To DUI from 14 Years Ago

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It was planned as an awesome trip to Alaska for both, a man from Lower Southampton and his 18 year old son. However, their adventure ended before it even began: Right at the Canadian border.

Michael Edwards was denied entry to Canada because of a DUI offense from 14 years back. The trip ended with the father crying and the son alone driving to Fairbanks where he was stationed with the U.S. Air Force.

The Philly Burbs newspaper reports what can only be considered a heart-wrenching, but nevertheless very typical scenario encountered almost daily at the Canadian border:

Canadian border officers turned away Michael Edwards because of his DUI convictions in the U.S. His last one was in 1996 – 14 years before he tried to enter Canada with his son.

The Canadians told the Lower Southampton man he’d have to go back home and apply for a special waiver to get into their country. It could take as long as a year to process. And it guaranteed nothing.

This case makes it clear what hardships unexpected denial at the Canadian border can pose. To make things worse, many travelers are often not even anticipating problems crossing the border. A DUI offense in the United States might be considered a minor offense, however will make it impossible to get to Canada because there it is considered a felony offense. Imagine the surprise at the border if such an offense happened 14 years back in the United States, such as in the case of Michael Edwards:

“It was the ultimate humiliation,” Edwards said of the experience in 2010. “If I had committed murder, I could see that. Are you kidding me? What was I going to do while passing through their country for a few days?”

Each year, Canada denies entry to thousands of visitors with criminal histories, including misdemeanors such as a DUI. It is far from easy to get into Canada with a criminal conviction such as a DUI offense. It can mean waiting years to be considered “rehabilitated,” paying at least $1,500 in legal fees and putting down all the good reason on a waiver application.

Denied entry to Canada can become a real problem when it will happen while an important business trip is on the agenda:

David St. Onge, 56, of New Britain racked up three DUI convictions in that township in the mid-1990s, although he said he hasn’t been in trouble since – or had a drink in 11 years.

The medical device salesman said he visited Canada for business and pleasure several times in the last few years with no problem – until late last year.

“I’d been there in 2008 and 2009 with my family in Niagara Falls and then in 2010 on business,” he said. “I went again on business when they told me I couldn’t enter Canada. I was absolutely floored.”

It happens all too often that travelers from the United States visit Canada regularly without any difficulty, just to encounter being denied entry at the most inconvenient time, as in the above case. More often than not, a business trip that cannot be conducted could result in dire financial consequences, beyond just the anger and inconvenience experienced at the Canadian border.

Source(s): http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/courier_times_news/denied-entry-canada-turns-away-american-dui-offenders/article_08c7af50-7ee8-11e0-907c-0019bb30f31a.html