President’s Message Karen Huestis CSA President I hope that you are having a fun and relaxing summer with family and friends. It won’t be long now until we embark on our journeys to our winter homes. Please do not forget to purchase your travel medical insurance before you go. I know that many of our members have already made their purchase throughMedipac’s Early Bird program. In addition to the Early Bird discounts, Medipac offers both loyalty and claim-free discounts. NewMedipac clients may also be eligible for Medipac’s Claim-Free Advantage Discount so, if you have yet to purchase your insurance, please ensure that you’re covered before you go. On July 12, U.S. Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) introduced the Canadian Snowbird Act in the United States Senate. This is companion legislation to Representative Elise Stefanik’s (R-NY) Canadian Snowbird Visa Act in the House of Representatives. If passed into law, these bills would allow Canadian citizens over the age of 50 who either own or rent a residence in the U.S. to remain in the country for up to eight months in a 12-month period. “It’s no secret that Canadians love to visit Florida in the winter,” Nelson said. “The millions of Canadian snowbirds who visit our state each year play an important role in our state’s tourism-driven economy. Allowing them to stay even longer is a win for them and for the local economies that they visit.” I met with Senator Nelson inMarch, at which time I asked him to consider sponsoring our proposal in the Senate. On behalf of the Canadian Snowbird Association, I would like to thank Senators Nelson and Rubio for bringing us one step closer to our objective. With recreational marijuana set to officially become legal in Canada on October 17, 2018, many Canadians have questions related to how this will impact their travel abroad, particularly to the United States. Despite the legalization of cannabis nationwide, cross-border rules will remain unchanged. This means that individuals will not be permitted to bring cannabis or cannabis products into Canada, even if they are returning home from a destination in which recreational marijuana has also been legalized. Similarly, although a growing number of U.S. states have legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational purposes, the sale, possession, production and distribution of marijuana all remain illegal under U.S. federal law. Travelling across the border into the United States withmarijuana in any form – even if carrying a medical prescription – can result in legal prosecution and fines, and possibly jail time. Since marijuana remains illegal under U.S. federal law, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer processing your admission to the United States at a port of entry may question you about your personal marijuana use. Travellers should be mindful that disclosing to a U.S. CBP officer that you have previously used or currently use marijuana could result in a traveller being banned from entering the United States. In these cases, travellers are required to apply for an advanced entry waiver in order to be admitted into the country in the future, but there is no guarantee that an application for such a waiver will be approved. It should also be noted that travellers who lie or misrepresent themselves to a U.S. CBP officer, when questioned at a port of entry, risk being banned from entering the United States. Alternatively, travellers may refuse to answer the question. While there is no legal requirement for travellers to provide an answer, a traveller refusing to answer will likely be denied entry into the United States and face further scrutiny when they attempt to re-enter at a later date. Questions related to involvement in the cannabis industry in Canada are treated in a similar manner and admitting to such involvement may result in a traveller being denied entry or banned from entering the United States. As we always emphasize, entry is allowed or denied at the sole discretion of the admitting U.S. CBP officer. While Public SafetyMinister Ralph Goodale has raised this issue with his U.S. counterparts in bilateral discussions, to date there has been no change to U.S. policy. The CSA is monitoring this matter closely and will provide updates to members as they become available. Enjoy the rest of your summer, and Bill and I wish you safe travels to your winter homes. 10 | www.snowbirds.org
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