Welcome Back Martin Rayner!! As you can no doubt by the addition of an extra posting this morning that our team member Martin Rayner is back after a one week hiatus instead of two we originally advised you. We wish Martin well on his recovery, he was doing much better last Friday when we saw [...]
A Much Needed Break Some Changes for the Next Two Weeks as our regular author Martin Rayner is away. We wish him well over these next two weeks and look forward to his return. For the next few weeks we will have others helping to contribute to this site, and we welcome appropriate content from [...]
As the end of the year draws close, we want to take this opportunity to thank you for following our blog and extend special gratitude to all those who have provided input, articles and suggestions to help improve its content. We wish you all the best for a joyous and festive holiday season and for [...]
Position: Network Administrator (Linux) In business for over a century, GHY International is one of the oldest established customs brokerage and international trade service providers in Canada. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, with offices across Canada and in the United States, we are a progressive organization with a reputation for innovation, quality service and comprehensive “one [...]
Please note that we will be taking a brief hiatus over the Christmas Holidays and will be returning in the New Year. 2012 promises to be filled with many challenging new developments for internationally-active companies on the compliance front, particularly in light of the recently announced Canada-U.S. perimeter security and regulatory co-operation programs, and we [...]
(Paul Teague — Procurement Leaders) Procurement executives and other business leaders should be monitoring infrastructure improvements as a matter of business due diligence. But, procurement’s role in logistics extends to more than just the condition of ports. It also touches on the important-if-unglamorous issue of trade compliance. Essentially, the term trade compliance relates to activities [...]
(CBP) The following updated versions of Automated Customs environment (ACE) User Guides are now available on CBP.gov. The “ACE 101” user guide provides a history of ACE and highlights capabilities currently available. “ACE 101” user guide The “Using the ACE Reports Tool” user guide provides updated instructions for importers, brokers and carriers on running ACE [...]
(American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research – Claude Barfield) The title is harsh, but the goal is benign-save, or at least extract, the world trading system from the Doha Development Round of trade negotiations that has now dragged on for a decade without success. To achieve this end, the round should formally be ended. [...]
(The Toronto Star – Les Whittington) Ontario’s economic health and millions of jobs will be on the table this fall when Prime Minister Stephen Harper sits down with U.S. President Barack Obama to talk about unclogging the United States-Canada border. Many see the expected high-level talks as the last, best hope to protect the world’s [...]
The significance of this announcement is that the 18 month count down to a new compliance deadline begins with the availability of the Governments Portal. There will be 12 months of voluntary compliance, 6 months of informed compliance, and then penalties resulting from lack of compliance. The CBSA has advised that the eManifest Portal is available as [...]
(PRWeb) During a time of worldwide recession, U.S. food importers, most of them small businesses, will soon find themselves unexpectedly impacted by additional costs caused by FDA’s new fees for “re-examining” imported foods. According to Benjamin England at FDAImports.com, starting October 1, 2011, FDA will charge food importers $224 per hour to “re-examine” imported food [...]
(Gordon Harris et al., Wragge & Co LLP) Now that China is the second biggest economy in the world, very few companies can resist its lure. This has resulted in foreign businesses clambering over each other to get a foothold in what is a rapidly expanding market. However, the Chinese landscape is difficult to navigate [...]
(AFP – Fran Wang) China, under pressure to relax controls over rare earths, said Wednesday it would appeal against a World Trade Organisation ruling that it illegally restricted exports of other key raw materials. The WTO last month upheld complaints by the United States, European Union and Mexico, ruling that China had failed to abide [...]
(Bloomberg – Karthikeyan Sundaram) India will seek private funds for seven new ports costing 350 billion rupees ($7.6 billion) as the government tackles transport bottlenecks that are hindering plans to triple exports of agricultural and manufactured goods. About two-thirds of the funds for the new ports will be raised from private sector, Rakesh Srivastava, joint [...]
(New Europe) The European Union has requested a World Trade Organization (WTO) investigation into Ontario’s renewable-energy legislation. The EU believes that the Ontario Green Energy and Economy Act (OGEA) is in breach of Canada’s WTO obligations, claiming that it is illegal to condition access to a subsidy to the use of domestic products. The OGEA [...]
(Seattle Times – Michael A. Meighen) As Canada and the United States continue to refine joint stewardship of our border in the post 9/11 world, it will help decision makers in both countries if they reread twin speeches delivered on the subject on Aug. 18, 1938. Students of Canadian-American relations know that it was on [...]
The International Trade Commission released Aug. 15 Shifts in U.S. Merchandise Trade 2010, its annual compendium of data and analysis examining changes in merchandise trade with key U.S. partners and in crucial U.S. industries. An ITC press release states that this report provides a comprehensive review of U.S. trade performance in 2010, focusing on changes [...]
(World Trade Interactive) President Obama signed into law Aug. 12 legislation that makes a number of revisions to the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 to address concerns about the regulatory burdens it has created for manufacturers and retailers of consumer goods, particularly children’s products. The changes should lower compliance costs and ease strict [...]
(CBC News) Syria is only the latest country to run afoul of Canadian foreign policy Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird recently extended Canada’s economic sanctions against Syria. Canada also recently enacted new sanctions against North Korea. Syria and North Korea are among 18 countries currently facing economic restrictions. Here’s a current list of countries subject [...]
(Minister of International Trade) The Honourable Ed Fast, Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Asia-Pacific Gateway, today participated in a round table with members of the Canada China Business Council (CCBC) in Toronto. At the session, Minister Fast underscored the Harper government’s commitment to boosting trade and investment with China to benefit Canadians. [...]
