The other side of post-9-11 security: Americans kept from entering Canada

- Another side-effect of the post-Sept. 11 security mindset: Americans who used to enter Canada with a wave and a few friendly questions are finding themselves stopped cold by sometimes even youthful indiscretions.

For some time, a drunken driving conviction was enough to deem a foreigner "inadmissible" because the crime is a felony in Canada.

But until recently, experts say border agents were less likely to find out about a foreigner's drunken driving record, either because they didn't ask or because they didn't have extensive criminal history databases to check.

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Some fishing parties who have had a member denied entry into Canada have wound up at the Thunderbird Lodge on the U.S. side of Rainy Lake.

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"The number being denied (entry) is increasing, and it's directly related to more questions being asked" "If you have a DUI or you wrote some bad cheques or shoplifted or smoked some pot, you're probably going to need a (special) permit to come into Canada."

The Canadian government denies it is turning away more Americans.

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Canadian immigration officials say would-be visitors with minor records can be provisionally admitted. That's done by paying about $200 in U.S. money for a temporary permit or paying the same amount and following a months-long process to "rehabilitate" their record permanently.

The Canadian Press