Fact Sheet -- Sault Ste. Marie Port of Entry

The Sault Ste. Marie port of entry (POE) is located in the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, which is connected to its sister city, Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, by the International Bridge crossing the St. Mary’s River. The Sault Ste. Marie POE ranks amongst the top 20 largest commercial ports in Canada. With the closest crossings east or west over 800 km away, the need for inspection facilities is essential to the free flow of legitimate trade and travel. On March 1, 2018, the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge marked a major milestone as the 100 millionth traveller crossed the span between Michigan and Ontario.

The POE operates on a 24/7 basis and processes both traveller and commercial traffic. It offers many functions, including:

• Customs and Immigration

• NEXUS/Highway

• Accounts Receivable Ledger Office

• Designated Commercial Office

• Designated Export Office

• Electronic Data Interchange

• Railway Depot

• Duty free shop

• Bilingual service

The POE is classified as an armed location.

In September 2009, the Government of Canada announced the allocation of new funding for the Sault Ste. Marie facility to make it more efficient, secure, and reliable for trade and travel. The Federal Bridge Corporation Limited (FBCL), a Canadian Crown corporation, as the developer and new owner, on behalf of the government, was tasked with the project’s oversight and completion. Construction of the new facility began in May of 2015 and finished in December of 2017.

The new facility replaces the facility built in 1962. The new 46,000 square foot building is more than four times the size of the old facility and meets the needs of the travelling public, commercial services, immigration services and the wellbeing and safety of Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) staff and clients. This $51 million investment aims to reduce wait times for travellers and relieve congestion at the border.

The infrastructure improvements involved the complete renovation and expansion of the entire Canadian plaza, including an expansion of the CBSA travellers’ facility, the secondary examination facilities, and better roadways.

The old facility had five primary inspection lanes, which included three regular traffic lanes, one bus lane and one dual lane used to process both traveller and commercial volume. The new facility has four regular traffic lanes, one bus lane and two dual commercial and traffic lanes, for a new total of seven lanes.

Border services officers are better equipped to perform effective secondary examinations, which reduce the risk of contraband activities, revenue evasion, and illegal immigration. Infrastructure improvements include detention areas three times that of the original size, five interview rooms to be used for immigration and customs purposes, and a full off-load facility, equipped with a forklift and three unloading bays in the segregated commercial building.

Highly efficient products and equipment were used in the construction of the facility, and continue to be used during regular operation, ensuring the new facility meets or exceeds modern efficiency standards. Wellness Committee initiatives were also incorporated during construction, and include a fish tank and a children’s area.

The remodeled POE enables the CBSA to process travellers more efficiently and better meet our border wait time standard. These infrastructure improvements ensure that the new POE is positioned to meet projected increases in traffic for many years to come.

The CBSA inspection facilities at Sault Ste. Marie are owned and operated by the FBCL.

Sault Ste. Marie by the numbers:

• NEXUS authorized point of entry for members of the joint Canada/U.S. NEXUS Highway Program;

• Multiple key stakeholders, including FBCL, St. Mary’s River Bridge Authority, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Health Canada, Sault Ste. Marie Police, Ontario Provincial Police, Public Health Agency of Canada, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, United States Customs and Border Protection;

• 1,278,279 travellers processed in 2017-2018;

• 609 enforcement actions completed in 2017-2018, including 224 prohibited goods;

• 590 Immigration documents issued including 148 Allowed to Leave, 19 Inadmissibility Reports, 1 Refugee claim, 33 Student Permits, 166 Work Permits, 58 Permanent Resident Landings, 127 Visitor Records and 38 Temporary Resident Permits.

The FBCL

The FBCL is a Crown corporation, headquartered in Ottawa, responsible for Canadian federal interests at four of eleven international bridge locations in Ontario. FBCL’s responsibilities and relationships are varied and reflect the unique origin of each bridge. FBCL owns crossing assets and provides oversight to bridge operations, administering international agreements associated with the bridges, leading bridge engineering and inspection duties and management of bridge capital investment projects.

FBCL bridge assets are located in Sault Ste. Marie, Point Edward (Sarnia), Lansdowne and Cornwall, Ontario.

Construction facts for Sault Ste. Marie:

Architectural

• Steel-framed building on concrete foundations;

• Envelope is a combination of brick veneer, curtain wall, insulated metal panel and conventional metal siding;

• Roof is 60 mil PVC and has a 30-year warranty.

Civil

• Oil interception system used to prevent oil from migrating into nearby waterways;

• Armourstone retaining wall system along Albert St. to emulate local sandstone cut from the Soo Locks.

Mechanical

• Natural gas hot water heating system;

• In-floor heating used in high traffic “wet” public areas and loading docks;

• 8,625 cubic feet per minute of Energy Recovery style air handling units.

Electrical

• 1,600A 600V hydro service;

• One 1,000kW generator provided for 100% site backup;

• Metal Halide Gas High Mast fixtures;

• Power Factor Correction and Harmonic Mitigation at full site capacity;

• Advanced Electrical Surge Suppression.