borders in roads
Hi
Jesper,
Yes,
the border officials are still pretty strict with this regulation. Anyone
who doesn't report and immigration/customs risks huge fines and/or
imprisonment. There are (were in 1996 at least) video cameras along the
street to monitor any illegal crossings.
There
is an interesting story (hopefully I haven't told it before) about the Haskell
Library and the video cameras. Several years ago, the librarian, who lived
in the Canadian side of town, took a small space heater into work with her
because it was extra cold that day and she wanted to keep her feet warm. She
parked her car in Canada, but the front door of the library is in the United
States, so she had to walk through a small piece of the US to get to
work. Within five minutes of arriving at work, there was a knock at
the door (she hadn't unlocked it yet)--it was a US Customs official.
He said "what did you carry into work with you". Of course she
explained it was the small heater and that she was planning to take it back home
with her. Her answer was satisfactory to the officer.
The
other story is that the small black line that's painted on the floor of
the Haskell building is marked not for tourists, but for insurance and
regulatory purposes. Many years ago a fire broke out in on the
Canadian side of the library. The librarian unintentionally called the
fire department of the US community, who were not permitted to put out
the fire because it was on the other side of the room. So, more damage was
done before the Quebec fire department could arrive to put out the fire.
Now, with the black line in place, they'll know which side of the border to
call. This is the story that is told of the Haskell building--not sure how much
truth there is to it, but it sounds feasible given the other conditions
I've seen along the border in that area.
Cheers,
Dallen