As of March 31, 2022, the temporary in-transit process introduced in British Columbia as a travel aid for the province’s flood issues, has been ended.
The announcement was made by the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The Canada-US bilateral initiative was in place to allow for safe vehicle passage—some 4,500—while the process was in place after a series of devastating flooding took place in British Columbia.
Beginning on November 14, 2021, a “pineapple express” or “atmosphere river” weather phenomenon pushed up from Hawaii into the Canadian province causing flooding and mass wasting events
The CBSA and CBP partnered at that time to institute a domestic in-transit emergency protocol to support the supply chain and the emergency goods needed to move from the US into Canada, to essentially bypass the road closures caused by the flooding.
However, by December 21, 2021, all of the major routes into British Columbia had been restored along with the resumption of normal traffic.
The CTA, however, worked with the Government of Canada earlier this year to extend the in-transit process until the end of March as a means of combating increased traffic on the province’s roadways that were causing increased transit times. It was also seen as a way to better mitigate the potential for harsh weather conditions or other unpredictable developments during the winter months.
As of March 31, 2022, at 12:01 am PDT, the BC in-transit process is closed.