WINDSOR, Ontario, Jan. 13 (UPI) -- The Canadian government has unveiled a new security initiative designed to provide officials with information on every truck approaching the U.S.-Canada border.
The system, called eManifest, is similar to technology that the United States is using on its side of the border. The system will cost $396 million over five years and is designed to keep trade moving while guarding against terrorism, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported Saturday. The system will be used for trucks and rail cars.
Transporters must provide all crew, cargo and conveyance information to be put in the computerized risk-assessment system.
The eManifest system "will provide the Canadian Border Services Agency with electronic data that allows for 100 percent automated risk assessment before shipments reach the border," a statement from the office of Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said. Day announced the plan in Windsor, Ontario, a site of frequent border crossing snags.
Day told reporters that smooth border traffic will keep production moving in the United States and Canada, warning that just one hour of delay can cause major nationwide backups, the CBC said.
