As Ottawa calls for CBSA report on IT outage, trucking group says timing of issue 'couldn't be worse'

The government minister of public refuge has precondition Canada edge Services government agency (CBSA) 30 days to provide a report on the information technology (IT) system outage that held up border traffic and led to truckers being stranded for an extended period.

Some truck drivers entering Ontario weren't able to proceed for as long as 36 hours this week after the outage affected CBSA operations. It began Sunday and lasted into Tuesday, with the resulting backlog snarling commercial traffic for days. 

"This is just not good from a human factor, from an economic factor," said Stephen Laskowski, president and CEO of the Canadian Trucking Alliance.

"And the timing couldn't be worse."

Beginning Wednesday night, long-haul truck driver Yves Doiron spent over 30 hours at a truck stop in New York state as a result of the outage. He crossed the border into Canada early Friday morning. 

Doiron said the outages cost him some money — "We do get compensated somewhat, but not not as well as if we were driving" — and time with his family. 

"I haven't seen [an outage] this bad, but in the last year, I'd say from my experience, I've heard probably about half a dozen times where it was shut down, where guys were stuck at the border for maybe five, six hours," Doiron said. But yeah, it seems to be happening more frequently, more than it was before anyways."

Laskowski said the worst delays were at the New York to Ontario crossings, but there were also delays at the Michigan to Ontario crossings that are critical for the "just-on-time" delivery model in the automotive industry. 

"You are seeing six- to seven-hour delays, which is not the signal we want to send to Washington with regards to keeping the auto industry here," Laskowski said. "That product moves just in time — six- and seven-hour delays is not how that business is conducted."

Laskowski said IT system failures have become more common in recent years and the level of frustration in the industry is growing. 

"We need to do everything we can to send a message to the supply chain on both sides of the border and in Washington that doing business with Canada isn't just good for Canada — it's great for Americans, it's great for that North American supply chain. 

"If we're going to be Team North America, we all have to contribute. And if we're going to contribute, that means making sure that the northern border operates efficiently."

Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to return to Washington next week to continue talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, whose tariffs have had a telling impact on both countries. 

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Laskowski credits on-the-ground CBSA officers with doing their best to move trade safely and efficiently, and said agency officials have also made the case for the sweeping upgrades needed to the agency's IT system.

"That becomes a cabinet decision, and cabinet needs to understand, just like they did with the Gordie Howe Bridge, that these kinds of things aren't costs — they're investment," he said. 

"These systems underlie and make all of that new and existing infrastructure work … It sort of makes …  a puzzling question as to why we're improving the physical infrastructure but not the IT infrastructure, which is equally as important as facilitating that trade."

Laskowski said getting the CBSA's IT system issue fixed is key, despite what it may cost, as stalling cars and trucks amounts to costs related to lost productivity. 

"The prime minister and the premiers have talked about nation building. This isn't a very sexy nation-building exercise. But trust me, investing in the IT that facilitates Canada-U.S. Trade by truck is a nation-building exercise."

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