A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. Blog

10,000 Shipping Containers Lost At Sea Each Year

2011-04-06T21:57:00.000-07:00

Right now, as you read this, there are five or six million shipping containers on enormous cargo ships sailing across the world’s oceans. And about every hour, on average, one is falling overboard never to be seen again. It’s estimated that 10,000 of these large containers are lost at sea each year, and our understanding of what happens to them afterwards is scant at best.

Read the full article here.

February 2011 Imports above 2010 and 2009 levels but still lag 2008

2011-03-16T11:07:00.000-07:00

CBSA just released the February 2011 Canadian Import volumes and while they are above 2010 and 2009 levels, they still lag behind 2008 levels.

We update this chart monthly on our cross border statistics page - http://aacb.com/resources/cross-border-statistics.asp

NEXUS and FAST membership cards now accepted as proof of identity

2009-11-27T14:38:00.001-08:00

NEXUS and FAST membership cards now accepted as proof of identity

NEXUS and FAST membership cards will now be accepted as proof of identity and as documents that denote citizenship when entering Canada at all land and marine ports of entry. This means that citizens of Canada and the United States who are NEXUS or FAST members, and are carrying with them valid membership cards, are no longer required to carry other supplementary documents such as passports or birth certificates with them when entering Canada by boat or by land, when using non-NEXUS or non-FAST lanes.

NEXUS and FAST members who are permanent residents of Canada or the United States are still required to travel with a passport and proof of permanent residence, and may be requested to present these documents to a border services officer upon arrival at the border.

It should be noted that program members who choose to use their card in non-NEXUS or non-FAST lanes will be processed as regular travellers and will not receive the benefit of expedited entry.

Please note that the new policy concerning the use of the NEXUS card as proof of identity and documents that denote citizenship does not pertain to the air mode of transportation. Members of the NEXUS program will still be required to carry the appropriate documentation when travelling by air.

http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/nexus/proofid-preuveid-eng.html

2009-2010 CBSA National Verification Priorities

2009-10-28T08:19:00.000-07:00

This is the list of products that customs is focusing on for audits this year 2009-2010

https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0BwEN0WTvY7xgZTE2ZDE0NjAtNzYyYS00MTJlLWE1ZGQtZDA5MjcxNDc0ZDI1&hl=en

For 2009-2010,
14 national priorities for verification so far:

Valuation verification
1. Plastic household goods

Tariff Classification verification
2.Magnesium sulphates
3.Cotton yarn
4.Copper and articles thereof
5.Stone vs. articles of stone
6.Reclaimed rubber
7.Furniture parts
8.Gloves
9.Soap

Origin verification
10. Vegetable fats and oils
11. Articles of bedding and similar furnishings
12. Perfume and toilet water industry
13. Mattress upholstery
14. Electric generators

Shipping to Canada - the easy way!

2009-09-15T08:36:00.000-07:00

View our video on the easy way to ship to Canada -

We're 30!

2009-08-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

On August 22, 1979, Graham and Candy Robins launched A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. It all started in a humble trailer they fixed up and parked on 176th Street in Surrey, BC – just down from the Pacific Highway border crossing - where our head office remains today.

Over the years we have grown ... from that modest little office to multiple branches across Canada and in the US. We found our winning formula – providing extraordinary service – and stuck to it. For three decades we never lost sight of one fact: when our clients are successful, we are successful.

The past year has been a tough one, but we have faced the worst and come out a winner. This has only been possible because of the people of A & A – you are what makes this business tick.

To formally mark our thirtieth anniversary, we are creating a book with Echo Memoirs. It will be an impressive, full-colour chronicle of A & A, its people and our industry. This photo collage is just a teaser of what is to come.

All the best,

Graham Robins Jr.
President
A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd.

"Providing our customers with first class trade facilitation through our passion for service."

Become a Fan of A & A on Facebook!

2009-07-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

A & A Contract Customs Brokers Ltd. on Facebook

We may be close to crossing that new bridge

2009-06-23T17:36:00.000-07:00

We may be close to crossing that new bridge

The following article, by Jeffrey Simpson, is extracted from the 20 June 2009 edition of “globeandmail.com”.

Could it be that after so many delays, false starts, political wrangling, engineering studies, competing proposals and plain old-fashioned inertia, a new bridge might soon be under construction between Windsor and Detroit, the busiest border crossing in North America?

Yes, there actually could be a new bridge, believe it or not.

With this project - an estimated $2-billion for the bridge, and more for the access roads on both sides of the border - nothing is ever guaranteed until the final rivet is in place. But on the Canadian side, all the political ducks are finally in line; and on the U.S. side, almost all of them are.

Except that in the U.S., a nation of lawyers, nothing is ever finally settled until the last lawsuit has expired….

The bridge is owned by one of the wealthiest men in the United States, billionaire Manuel (Matty) Moroun of Grosse Pointe. He owns a trucking conglomerate, dispenses political contributions (to 21 candidates in 2008, according to Campaignmoney.com), and keeps lawyers busy by filing lawsuits whenever matters are not going his way.

Which they are not. Mr. Moroun opposes the new bridge proposed by the U.S. and Canadian governments. He insists it will unfairly compete with his Ambassador Bridge, and the new bridge he will build, operate and own adjacent to the existing Ambassador that will eventually be phased out….

Alas for Mr. Moroun, the Department of Homeland Security does not favour his project, fearing terrorists could knock out one bridge, thereby crippling commerce among other losses. Nor does the U.S. Coast Guard favour Mr. Moroun's efforts. It recently ordered preliminary work stopped on his new bridge. Nor does the Democratic delegation in Congress from Michigan, with one exception.

Nor does the mayor of Detroit. Nor does the state government….

Mr. Moroun has just launched a lawsuit, claiming the U.S. government agencies had not followed their own rules in turning him down.

Unless this Hail Mary lawsuit succeeds - and very few people give it a hope - work will start later this year on the Windsor side preparing ground for the access from the 401 highway to the new six-lane bridge….

Many Windsorites wanted a tunnel from the 401 to the bridge, but the cost would have been astronomical. Now, it appears Mayor Francis and Queen's Park have reached an agreement whereby some of the access road will be sunken, although not tunnelled. With that compromise, the last hurdle fell on the Canadian side for a new bridge so long discussed, so long delayed.

The federal, provincial and municipal governments in Canada, and the federal, state and local governments on the U.S. side would appear all in agreement, finally, that a new bridge is needed and that it should be the publicly financed one. The Canadian section will likely be built through a public-private partnership….

It almost seems too good to be true: a new bridge by 2015. Hold your breath.

As of June 30th, 2009 all imported bovinae and non-bovinae pet foods from the United States into Canada require import permits

2009-05-23T17:22:00.001-07:00

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/anima/heasan/import/permit_covere.shtml

Worldwide Air Traffic in 24 Hours

2009-04-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

U.S. to focus on unclogging Canada-U.S. land border crossings

2009-03-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration has agreed to examine the possibility of opening U.S. customs facilities within Canada to help speed trade across the nations' land borders, Public Safety Minister Peter Van Loan said Wednesday.

Following meetings with the White House and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Van Loan said he had "gained a commitment" to open talks aimed at unclogging Canada-U.S. land border crossings by pre-clearing vehicles in advance of their arrival at the boundary.

"The arrival of the Obama administration presents us with an opportunity to strengthen our relationship with the United States, and I believe we are doing that," Van Loan told reporters at the Canadian Embassy in Washington.

Canada has long sought to win U.S. support for land border pre-clearance facilities for commercial vehicles, similar to those already open in most major airports for air passengers. The Bush administration rejected the idea, but "we did gain a commitment today to examine that issue again," Van Loan said.

The minister said he suggested Canadian and U.S. officials examine the possibility of a pilot project along the Detroit-Windsor corridor because "that's a particular choke point" for cross-border trade.

Van Loan and Napolitano also agreed to hold twice-yearly meetings, for the first time formalizing regular cabinet level contacts to deal with potential border security irritants.

"This is a very significant and positive development for Canada," Van Loan said. "It is a mechanism that has been absent to date."

Van Loan also met with John Brennan, President Barack Obama's assistant on homeland security, and Senator Joe Lieberman, chairman of the Senate homeland security committee.

While the minister said he discussed a range of issues with his American counterparts, Van Loan acknowledged he did not raise one of the biggest irritants between Canada and the former Bush administration — the U.S treatment of Maher Arar.

"I did not canvas that issue today," Van Loan said.

The Harper government had regularly protested the Bush administration's decision to keep Arar on a no-fly list despite being cleared in Canada of any connections to terror.

"I'm happy to raise it again in the future," Van Loan said when asked why he did not press Arar's case with the new administration. "We have raised it in the past. We're familiar with the American position on it, and we'll see if that changes."

© Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/focus+unclogging+Canada+land+border+crossings/1402891/story.html

Duty Calculator(s)

2009-02-20T15:49:00.000-08:00

One of the most common questions we see is "Do you have a Duty Calculator" or "Do you have a Duty and Tax Calculator?"

The answer is - YES - we do. We actually have a number of different Duty & Tax Calculators.

The main one is located here - http://aacb.com/tools/dutytax.asp

This lets you calculate the duties and taxes on a shipment entering Canada from anywhere in the world. You select a number of different parameters, including Customs specific item categories, the shipping date (to calculate Customs Exchange Rate), and, voila, you can see how much your shipment into Canada will cost you.

We also have a calculator that tells you the cost of importing a car or vehicle into Canada. I wrote about that early last year.

We offer a calculator for eBay items if you are a Canadian looking to import. That can be found here.

Lastly, and certainly not least - we built a calculator to determine what duties and taxes are on wine being imported into Canada. The Wine duty & tax calculator can be found here.

If you're interested in calculating duty and do not see what you're looking for here - please contact us toll free 1.800.663.4270 or at consulting@aacb.com - and we will answer your questions, free of charge.

We're always looking for your feedback, so if you have any suggestions for changes or updates, please let me know.

Tariff Relief on Machinery and Equipment

2009-01-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

There was some great news for our Machinery and Equipment clients in Canada's Economic Action Plan - 2009 Budget. There are over 200 tariff's that are affected, and we are working diligently here at A & A to ensure your items will receive the lowest possible duty rates under these new changes. More information is provided below. If you have any questions, please contact our Consulting Team at consulting@aacb.com

Providing over $440 million in savings for Canadian industry over the next five years by permanently eliminating tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment.

Tariff Relief on Machinery and Equipment

With almost 90 per cent of all imports entering the country duty free, Canada is one of the world's most open economies. Still, tariffs continue to apply on several goods imported from outside North America, including certain machinery and equipment used by Canadian industry.

Budget 2009 proposes to permanently eliminate tariffs on a range of machinery and equipment. This measure will lower costs for Canadian producers in a variety of sectors, such as forestry, energy and food processing, which must purchase specialized equipment from overseas to modernize their operations and enhance competitiveness. This measure will affect close to $2 billion in annual imports of machinery and equipment and provide over $440 million in savings for Canadian industry over the next five years. The Government will undertake further consultations with Canadian businesses to identify additional areas where tariff relief could be provided.

Budget 2009 will also take steps to facilitate the movement of goods by improving the Customs Tariff rules respecting the treatment of temporarily imported cargo containers, and undertake consultations with respect to further liberalizing the use of these containers in Canada.

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-22T11:23:00.000-08:00

This is the season where we get together with family and friends and relax and enjoy.

It's also a fun time to learn about your family heritage. In the last year or so, I have found a great online program for connecting our family even closer.

The website is called Geni.com. You can quickly build your family tree and connect with relatives near an far.
One of the favourite features within our family is the Birthday reminder. The program will email you when there are Birthdays, anniversaries, etc., in your family - so you can send them a Birthday greeting.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.

I hope you have a safe and happy holiday!
Graham Jr.

New online Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States

2008-11-29T11:25:00.000-08:00

USITC Introduces HTS Online Reference Tool

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) introduced the development of the new HTS Online Reference Tool. Managed by the USITC, the new tool will be a single source of information for importers, brokers, carriers and the government.

The HTS Online Reference Tool will provide:

• Complete legal text and notes;
• The most current U.S. tariff rates;
• Interactive access and searches;
• Direct links to classification rulings;
• Quick searches by word, word combinations or HTS number;
• Direct links to footnotes;

The system will provide access to the most current rulings. Users will be able to jump directly from a specific HTS item to the Customs Ruling Online Search System (CROSS) for determinations on product classification for that HTS item.

The tool also provides thesaurus capability and the ability to use synonyms, such as “doll” instead of “toys”. Using XML software, the ITC will be able to quickly update the HTS for changes such as Free Trade Agreements and duty rate reductions.

Try it out here.

I am interested in your feedback on this tool and if you find it useful.
Please email me at president@aacb.com with your feedback.

Updated A & A Racing Page

2008-10-06T21:54:00.000-07:00

A & A spends a lot of time at various car shows, automotive events, drag strips, etc.

Many people ask about our connection to all things vehicle related. So, we decided to update our Racing web page a bit and add some more information about the history all the way to the most current events that we are involved with.

Check it out here - http://www.aacb.com/racing/

BlackBerry Tip - Phone Directory / Voice Mail Dialing -

2008-09-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

Phone directory / Voice Mail dialing – You’ll notice that the BlackBerry doesn’t have any letters over the numbers on the phone keypad. So, if you want to dial 1-800-GOT-JUNK, or search for “Graham” in a company voicemail directory, you have to either be staring at a regular phone – or try to guess which Letters correspond with the Numbers. This can be quite difficult.

There IS a solution for this.

Just use the regular keypad for the numbers, but you have to use the Alt key for the letters. So, in the example of dialing 1-800-GOT-JUNK. You would simply dial the regular 1 800 but then press Alt G Alt O Alt T Alt J Alt U Alt N Alt K – and the phone will translate that for you. In the voicemail directory scenario, you can be asked “Please type the first 3 letters of the person’s first name to search the company directory..”, and if it is “Graham” that you are looking for, you would dial Alt G Alt R Alt A and it will translate that for you.

Canada Concludes Free Trade Negotiations with Jordan and Colombia, Peru

2008-08-26T16:01:00.000-07:00

On August 25, 2008, the Government of Canada concluded negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with Jordan, as well as on parallel agreements on labour cooperation and the environment. This year, the Government of Canada has also concluded FTA negotiations with Colombia and Peru.

“We welcome this opportunity to expand Canada-Jordan trade relations,” said the Honourable Michael M Fortier, Minister of International Trade. “This bilateral free trade agreement will open up significant opportunities for Canadian companies in this growing economy, as well as elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. It demonstrates our government’s continuing commitment to expand opportunities for Canadian exporters.”

An FTA with Jordan will improve market access for both agricultural products and industrial goods, and help to ensure a level playing field for Canadian exporters vis-à-vis competitors that already have preferential access to Jordan’s markets. Trade between the two countries totalled $76 million last year.

Upon implementation, this FTA will eliminate tariffs on the vast majority of current Canadian exports to Jordan, directly benefiting Canadian exporters. For example, in 2007, electrical machinery was subject to roughly $293,000 in duties (up to 30 percent on some products) on exports of $3 million to Jordan.

The parallel labour and environment agreements will help to ensure progress on labour rights and environmental protection.

“This labour cooperation agreement between Canada and Jordan will ensure that economic progress goes hand in hand with the rights of workers,” said the Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. “The successful conclusion of these negotiations marks the beginning of a long-term cooperative relationship between our two countries.”

“The Canada-Jordan Agreement on the Environment marks another milestone in our two countries’ joint commitment to protecting our most vital of assets, our shared environment,” said the Honourable John Baird, Minister of the Environment. “We see this partnership as an opportunity to create and strengthen environmental laws and policies as a legacy for future generations.”

This FTA also demonstrates Canada’s support for a key partner in the pursuit of regional peace, security and stability. These negotiations follow on the successful conclusion of negotiations for a new bilateral air services agreement and a foreign investment promotion and protection agreement with Jordan.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper committed Canada to exploring the possibility of an FTA with Jordan when he met King Abdullah II in July 2007.

Before signing the agreements and making them public, Canada and Jordan will undertake a detailed legal review of the FTA texts in English, French and Arabic. Following formal signature, the treaties will be tabled in the House of Commons for a period of 21 sitting days for Members of Parliament to review and debate. Following the 21-day period, the Canadian government will introduce draft legislation to implement the agreements.

More information can be found here -

New border-crossing cards to improve, speed-up security process

2008-07-23T20:18:00.000-07:00

I would estimate that the NEXUS system has saved me personally from over 100 hours of border line ups in my car, waiting in line to pay Customs Duties & Taxes and bypassing long security line ups at the airport.

I tell everyone I know to Get NEXUS! It saves so much time. So, I was happy to hear that they are improving the cards and the processing at the borders. I have found that because so many people are signing up for the program - there are many more cars in the NEXUS lane, and that means longer lines. However, they are still much shorter than the regular lanes and from what I understand - the newer facilities being built will have multiple NEXUS lanes rather than just one.

Here is the full article -

New border-crossing cards to improve, speed-up security process
Craig Pearson, Canwest News Service
Published: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
WINDSOR, Ont. - NEXUS border-crossing cards are changing to improve security, though a U.S. government official says the changes also should help speed the process.

Sometime in the fall, current NEXUS cards - in use for five years to help regular commuters move quickly across the border - will be swapped for second-generation NEXUS cards.

Chief Ron Smith of U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the new cards will be issued in conjunction with the introduction of new card readers that improve the radio-frequency-identification-device technology, which can read nearby cards without having to swipe them.

The chip in the old NEXUS cards sent information 15 feet (4.5 metres). The new card will send it only 10 feet (three metres), which lessens the chance someone can intercept the information. As well, the new cards are harder to counterfeit or to alter.

The new U.S. card readers can also handle more information, making them faster.

With the previous system, the card readers could only identify one or two people at the same time. With the updated system, the readers will be able to identify four NEXUS commuters in one car, at once.

"It's an all-around better system," Smith said. "It should also help us increase our NEXUS usage."

About 355,000 people currently hold NEXUS cards. Both Canadian and American officials hope that number will climb significantly, since NEXUS cardholders typically cross land borders with less delay than those using other government-issued ID.

Smith also noted that the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative will require all Canadians and Americans to use passports to enter the United States, including through land borders, starting June 1, 2009. "NEXUS cards can be used as a passport at the border," Smith said. "It's simple."

NEXUS is a partnership program between the Canada Border Services Agency and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

© Windsor Star 2008

The Eagle has landed

2008-07-08T17:31:00.000-07:00

In March, I let you know that A & A was sponsoring an eagle for "Eagles in the City" in Vancouver.

Well, the Eagle has landed!

Our artist, Barbara Roden, received her blank canvas eagle today.

Barbara will start work on the eagle shortly.
Here is a picture of it outside of her studio -

Stay tuned for more updates.

Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) - It's our future

2008-06-28T16:23:00.000-07:00

We have over 200 employees and many of them spend a lot of their time keying in information that has been keyed once, twice, even three times before we have keyed it.

This adds costs to the supply chain in a number of ways - time to key the information. Human error. Mistakes. Fines and penalties.

Many, many orders are keyed electronically these days and I am still amazed that at the end of the line - somehow that data 'gives birth' to a piece of paper - or many, many pieces of paper.

We encourage our customers to transmit data to us as much as possible to avoid extra time and expense. (If we do not have to key in the data, our fees go down because there is less work involved for us.)

For more information on how to speed up your shipments using EDI, please contact us.

Canadian Customs Broker in the news..

2008-05-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

You may have read an article about a Canadian Customs Broker being sentenced to jail after being convicted of evading more than $4.7 million in duties and taxes.

According to the CBSA - "What he did was submit accounting documents claiming a GST exemption code - so no GST was charged even though the goods did not qualify for the exemption," Giolti said. "In addition, rather than account for the goods in the correct currency such as. U. S. dollars, he would claim other currencies so the values would be less.
”However, when he billed the client, he would then bill the right amounts owing: GST and the right currency rate."

This may be unsettling for our customers and I thought I would address our process and systems should you have any questions. There are 2 main things we to do make sure we are compliant -

1) We have a very extensive compliance checking process where we have both the supervisors and managers of our various departments and branches check their people's work for compliance issues. We also have a compliance department that checks the supervisors and managers work for errors or omissions. We are very confident in our people's abilities to catch errors or omissions and a number of our customers have been audited with good outcomes such as this one.

2) We have what we call a "Duty Exception Report" which cross references our customs entries to confirm that what was paid out was billed out. If there is an exception - it goes on this report for our people to check into and fix. It also works in both directions. So, if we paid customs $100.00 in Duty, but we billed our customer $150.00 in Duty - it immediately goes on a report to fix. And, likewise, if we paid customs $150.00 in Duty, and billed our customer $100.00 in Duty - it goes on a report to fix.

I like to keep an open line of communication on this type of issue both for our customers and for our employees.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

What to do when you get audited.

2008-04-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

If you are either being audited or are notified that you are going to be audited - it is very important that you contact your customs broker as soon as you are made aware.

Your customs broker can save you countless hours of time and energy by providing information to Customs on your behalf. A customs broker keeps excellent books and records of your imports and should be able to quickly gather the information that Customs is looking for.

A Customs audit should not be a scary process. Many of our importer clients have been audited and both the importer and ourselves have been satisfied with the outcomes of the audits we have seen.

We are by no means perfect - but we do take compliance very, very seriously.
Here are some ways that we strive for compliance -

We have an in house Consulting and Compliance Team that has many years of experience in Compliance, Tariff, Valuation and Origin issues.
We send out a "Self Compliance" document with every invoice as a double check for our clients to review their shipments for accuracy.
We offer online tutorials to educate importers and exporters on the importance of compliance.
We have an intensive entry checking process to review for errors and ommissions.
We have highly trained, knowledgeable, qualified people handling our clients work.

Customs audits can be a scary process - but it doesn't have to be if you're taking a big picture approach to compliance.

Contact your customs broker for more information.

Happy Earth Day

2008-04-21T16:14:00.000-07:00

Earth day is April 22 - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Day

Here at A & A, we have been doing some things to lessen our impact on the Earth.

Below is a list of items that we have started -

Installed motion activated lighting in washrooms
Installed motion activated lighting in infrequently used rooms
Purchasing energy efficient PC's, Notebook and servers
Recycling old, outdated PC's
Shutting down PC's overnight for Earth Day
We black-out monitors after 5 minutes of idle time
Using half the lights in the IT office
Turning off server room lighting
Encouraging no printing on Earth Day and as little printing as possible always
Defaulting printers to two sided on Earth Day
Lower wattage bulbs in our office lighting
Recycling programs in our offices
I drive a Hybrid vehicle

We consider the environmental impact before making a purchase of a product or service.

An Earth Day logo will be on our website today and tomorrow to 'inspire awareness of and appreciate for the Earth's environment.'

I believe this quote sums things up very well "WE DO NOT INHERIT THE EARTH FROM OUR ANCESTORS: WE BORROW IT FROM OUR CHILDREN."

Congratulations on a record breaking Sun Run!

2008-04-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Our first (and definitely not our last!) Vancouver Sun Run team had a fantastic day on Sunday. Despite it being one of the coldest days in Sun Run history, our people braved the elements and walked, jogged and ran their hearts out!

The rolling wave start meant that some people had finished the race before others even crossed the starting line. The Sun Run organizers do a fantastic job of keeping the event flowing.

When the finish line came into sight - everyone turned on their jets and it was a sprint to the end.

We're a little sore today and that memory will soon fade as we start setting our goals for next year's run!
Congratulations to everyone who participated in this wonderful event - and an extra special congratulations to all of the "Team A & A" runners!

Say hello to our Vancouver Sun Run Team

2008-04-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, April 20th, the "Team A & A" corporate Sun Run Team will participate in the 24th annual Sun Run in Vancouver, B.C. (We are ignoring the forecast for rain / snow!)

The Sun Run has broken registration records with over 55,000 people this year! To put that into perspective - this event is almost double the size of some of the largest marathons in the world, and double the size of the Honolulu Marathon.

For Vancouver-ites - the total attendance will be the equivalent of 3 Vancouver Canucks hockey games spilling onto the streets! Not for the claustrophobic!

Back to our A & A Sun Run Team - I am very proud of our first corporate team. They've been training hard. Walking, jogging, running - eating well, drinking a lot of water in anticipation for the big 10K event. For many of them, it is their first time going this distance. For others, they are dusting off their running shoes and getting back at it.

I look forward to doing a re-cap after the big day on Sunday. Good luck everyone - it's a great accomplishment!

April is Wellness Month at A & A

2008-04-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

Each week we will have a different theme to focus our awareness:

· Week 1: Mind/Body/Spirit: this week will jumpstart our wellness month by focusing on the holistic approach—our physical, mental, spiritual and emotional dimensions.

· Week 2: Nutritional Fitness: this week we’ll focus our attention to how we fuel our bodies and how that relates to our health and happiness.

· Week 3: Emotional/Mental Health: we will look at ways to challenge our minds, relax our bodies, and focus on positive thinking.

· Week 4: Physical Fitness: we will take this week to focus on how to achieve our goals & on how taking care of our bodies takes care of our minds and emotions.

We will also be taught how to properly set up our desk chair, keyboard and monitor to ensure we are practicing the best ergonomics.

So, when I saw this video recently, I had a good chuckle -

Our Customer Service options

2008-04-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

Over the years, we have found that there isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to serving you when you have questions or requests for information.

We believe we've done a great job at providing a number of options for you, and I'd like to outline some of those here -

1) Telephone - We take pride in the fact that we have multiple receptionists to take your phone calls. Our goal is to answer the calls within 2 rings and either provide you with the answer right there or transfer you only once to a live voice for further help.

We don't have an automated answering service - because we have been told that you like to call and talk to a a human. Frankly - don't we all? We also dislike 'voice mail jail' - when you can never seem to get a hold of a human and can't get out of voice mail. If you ever get transferred to a voice mail on our system and decide you would like to talk to someone rather than leave a message - you can simply press "0" and get back to a live voice. We are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with our own people and they can get your answer for you.

2) Fax - We have all of our phone and fax numbers listed here on our Contact Us page - http://www.aacb.com/contact/index.asp

3) email / Internet - We are very proud of the system that we have implemented for our email and online requests. Our Online Customer Care Centre - http://aacb.custhelp.com/

We have hundreds of Frequently Asked Questions posted here. If you have a question that is not posted, you can Ask a Question and we will respond. The system automatically generates a response to you to let you know that we have received it and are processing it.

Any questions that you ask are stored in your own personal database that you can refer back to anytime.

There are also other options such as asking to be notified if the answer ever changes (Customs regulations constantly change.), and another feature lets you email the question and answer to yourself or a colleague. All at the push of a button.

So, whether it's phone, fax or email - we treat each of your requests with the same high priority to make sure they are treated with a sense of urgency.

Please try them out and let me know what you think.

Borderlineups.com and Ferrylineups.com and long weekends

2008-03-25T17:51:00.000-07:00

For a number of years, A & A has owned and operated http://www.borderlineups.com . We re-designed this website last summer with some great input from the frequent visitors.

We then expanded that to http://www.ferrylineups.com/ as a bit of a service for people using the ferries to see what the traffic is like as well as a simple website with some useful links like ferry reservations, bus schedules, etc.

These sites get views from all over the world from people who are interested in checking the weather or who want to check out the area. They also have a lot of local appeal to transportation companies checking on border congestion or cross border shoppers looking for the best route to take.

The long weekends, like the one we just had, always show a spike in traffic as people are gearing up for travel.

I am always interested to hear how we can improve these sites for the visitors so that we can make them more useful for you.

Please take a look and let me know.
Thank you.

Using our Vehicle Import Cost Calculator

2008-03-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

Once the Canadian dollar started heading towards par with the U.S. dollar, it became very economical to consider purchasing a vehicle in the U.S. and importing it into Canada.

There are 3 'big' questions when importing a vehicle from the U.S. (Or, from overseas for that matter.) They are -
1) Is my vehicle allowed into Canada? Some vehicles are inadmissible by Transport Canada.
2) How can I get my vehicle from the seller to my door?
3) How much will all of this cost?

We have been upgrading our Vehicle Import Cost Calculator and it now answers all 3 of those big questions.

You can try it out here - http://www.aacb.com/quote/vehicle/ Once you're finished with the quote, you can email it to yourself for future reference.

The calculator has a nice feature that allows you to put in an eBay item number if you are looking at a vehicle on eBay Motors.

You can read more about vehicle importing requirements on our vehicle importing services page.

Eagles in the City - Vancouver

2008-03-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

A & A is proud to be a sponsor of "Eagles in the City" in Vancouver.

Last year, we purchased a number of "Spirit Bears" at auction benefiting the BC Lions Society.

We have the bears at our Pacific Highway / Surrey B.C. office, at our Blaine, Washington office, at our family cabin and at the City Hall in White Rock, B.C.

This year - the BC Lions Society is doing "Eagles in the City" and A & A is a sponsor. This means we will sponsor our own artist and have our own Eagle.

We were at the media launch on Thursday, March 6th and were excited to see our 'blank canvas' Eagle. Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan was on hand along with the BC Lions President and the President from the Vancouver Board of Trade. Our artist, my cousin Barbara Roden, was also there for the unveiling.

Here are a couple of pictures of the event -

The Eagles will be officially unveiled in March/April of 2009 and will remain on display until April 2010.

This event was also published in The Vancouver Province and Barbara was quoted!

We are looking forward to keeping everyone updated as the events unfold for this great cause.

The Power Within 2008 - Vancouver

2008-03-07T20:16:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday, March 5, I attended The Power Within in Vancouver at GM Place. Attending with me were my wife and 5 people from our Pacific Highway branch - all of whom wrote a letter describing their desire to attend this uplifting and motivating day. We picked the top 5 submissions to join us.

The following presenters told their own stories -

Martha Stewart, International Business Icon, Best Selling Author, “Martha Stewart’s Homekeeping Handbook”, Television Host, “The Martha Stewart Show” on Creating a Brand

Quincy Jones, 7 Time Grammy Award Winner, Composer, Film Producer and Multimedia Entrepreneur on Creativity

Andre Agassi , 60 Career Singles Titles, Eight Grand Slam Tennis Championships, and founder of The Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation (AACF) on Motivation

David Allen, Best Selling Author, “Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress Free Productivity” on Time Management

Christopher P. Gardner, Author “The Pursuit of Happyness” on Personal Inspiration

Frank Abagnale – “Catch Me if You Can” on Learning from Experience

Loretta LaRoche, Best-Selling Author “Life is Short, Wear Your Party Pants” on Stress Management

It was a great day of learning.

Do you need a U.S. address for shipping packages to?

2008-02-12T11:25:00.000-08:00

From time to time, I am asked if we have a U.S. address to ship packages to. These questions come from family, friends, customers, etc. So, I thought I would do a post about this question.

The answer is "Yes" - especially for people located in B.C. We have a warehouse in Blaine, Washington that is very convenient to have packages sent to.

This is especially helpful if your are buying from a U.S. supplier who doesn't ship to Canada. And, many times, the supplier will ship within the U.S. / domestically for free.

To use this warehouse as a convenient receiving depot, simply follow these instructions - http://www.aacb.com/contact/usa_warehouse.asp

You can either drive down and pick up the packages yourself or have us pick them up, clear them through Customs and deliver them to your door.

The importance of Compliance

2007-06-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

This morning, I was at the CSCB (Canadian Society of Customs Brokers) BC Regional Annual Conference.

CBSA (Canada Border Services Agency) - Customs - talked about the quality of trade data - or the data that Importers and Customs Brokers transmit to Canada Customs. They feel that there is a very low level of compliance with regards to origin, tariff classification, value for duty and end use of goods.

They have done some studies and found that there has been a 'high level' of non compliance.

This really disturbs me. We spend a great deal of time and effort to make sure that the information for our clients shipments is very accurate. Almost to a fault. Some of our clients complain about the amount of calls or information requests they get. On the other hand, some of our clients have been audited and have been very happy with the results.

Customs is working on audits for importers who are not compliant. I suppose our extra efforts are appreciated by some clients, and may never be truly appreciated until they are audited.