BTB 2.0? Stakeholders Crowdsourcing Site Promises Increased Collaboration and New Ideas for BtB and RCC

From BtBObserver, who reports on the new BtB crowdsourcing site Idea Scale: 

Have an idea to make the Canada-U.S. economic and border relationship run smoother? Crossborder stakeholders want to hear your ideas. And they may just shape the work of the Beyond the Border (BtB) Initiative and the Regulatory Cooperation Council (RCC).

Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER), Canadian American Business Council, U.S. Chamber and other US-Canada partnering organizations have launched Idea Scale, a crowdsharing website where crossborder enthusiasts can post and comment on ideas to improve the Canada-U.S. regulatory relationship.

Check out Idea Scale here.  Whether sharing ideas or just monitoring the mystical art of crossborder regulatory transformation, the site is definitely worth regular visits.

Presidents of a Canadian & U.S. Association of CEOs Praise BTB, Offer Roadmap for Further Progress in Canada-U.S. Economic Relations

As noted by Beyond the Border Observer, leaders of two top business associations praise Beyond the Border and suggest steps Canada and the United States can take to improve their economic relationship.

Check out the full The Hill editorial by John Engler and John Manley here. 

 For a quick summary, read below or check out Beyond the Border Observer:

They [Engler & Manley]...stress that “a lot more needs to be done to transform bottlenecks at the border into gateways for the legitimate flow of people and goods.”

On the top of their list? “[S]tronger regulatory cooperation where it makes sense.”

And they also urge both nations “to move beyond pilot projects, feasibility studies, and regulatory reviews to fuller implementation – transforming words and good intentions into more concrete and longer-term action.

Finally, Engler and Manley urge the countries to move forward on important cross-border infrastructure projects, Keystone XL and a new bridge between Windsor and Detroit, and also impose deadlines for parts made in one country and assembled in the other to “travel without interruption… .”

Border News Wednesday Round-Up

Some attention-grabbing Canada-U.S. border headlines.

Border Shooting.  Yesterday afternoon a Canada Border Services Agency officer was shot by an unidentified man at The Peace Arch crossing between Washington and British Columbia.  The shooter then took his own life, with the border agent reported in stable condition.  The border crossing, “the third busiest port of entry on the northern border[,]” has been closed since the shooting, but is slated for reopening at 4 p.m. today.  [Source:  WashingtonPost.com]

Cross-Border Crossings Would Be Twice as High if No 9/11, Report Finds.  A great two-day conference just wrapped up in Burlington, Ontario.  The TRANSLOG 2012 Conference explored border logistics, the cross-border talent pool, and border transportation issues.  One attention-grabbing tagline from the conference:  Meredith MacLeod at thespec.com reports “[i]f the 9/11 attacks hadn't happened, more than twice as many Canadians would be crossing the border to shop in the United States each year.”  Her source:  University of Windsor’s William Anderson, the first presenter at TRANSLOG 2012—an event hosted by the McMaster Institute for Transportation and Logistics (MITL) and Supply Chain and Logistics Association Canada (SCL). 

But Canadians Are Filling Up Border City Hotels.  HotelNewsNow.com reports that Canadians who shop in the U.S. are filling up U.S. hotels.  One interesting wrinkle to the story: Canadian shoppers who spend 24 hours or more get to bring back to Canada up to $200 in goods without a Canadian duty or taxed imposed.  If a Canadian shopper ups his or her U.S. visit to 48 hours or more, that duty/tax free credit goes up to $800.  (Note:  Both amounts are in Canadian dollars, naturally.)

The Coming North American Union? Beyond the Border Regulatory Gears Are Turning.  Lamenting America’s loss of sovereignty, Dana Gabriel—for Dissident Voice—does write on some interesting developments in the Dec. 2011 Beyond the Border Initiative:  (1) The Transportation Security Administration’s extension of TSA Pre, an expedited screening initiative at 27 U.S. airports; (2) the United States Department of Agriculture has launched a pilot program for a pre-clearance screening process for Canadian fresh meat; and (3) greater cooperation between Canada and the United States when it comes to ship inspections on the St. Lawrence River.   The impact: while some have criticized the slow-moving Beyond the Border Initiative, it’s clear that U.S. officials are beginning to streamline regulatory hurdles on the U.S.-Canada border.  I wonder how many of Gabriel’s updates came courtesy of Woodrow Wilson Canada Institute’s Beyond the Border Observer: which blogs today on the United States Coast Guard and Transport Canada launching a pilot program for the joint inspection of certain ships in the St. Lawrence Seaway.