South Surrey businesswoman fined $5,000 for NEXUS rule violation

Suzanne Smith, owner of Betty Be Good Boutique in South Surrey, operated three stores across the border for more than a dozen years before closing her final U.S. shop in May. She said she was unaware of a rule requiring commercial travellers to pay a single-crossing fee.

In September, Smith used her NEXUS pass to drive into the United States and collect business and personal parcels from her post-office box. She told the border officer why she was travelling and was waved through without further questions.

“I'm someone who regularly crosses the border who did not know the rules of the game have changed.”

On her return to Canada, she stopped at a checkpoint in the commercial lane. An officer asked how she had entered the United States and, after learning she used the NEXUS lane, questioned her quickly about a transponder, her purpose, and whether she had paid the US$22.10 single-crossing fee.

When Smith said she did not understand the fee, the officer accused her of deceiving the previous officer and seized her NEXUS card. Smith said the encounter left her shaking and that she knew she had done something wrong but not what it was.

Her card was taken two weeks later, and on November 1 she received official notice of a US$5,000 fine. The notice, dated October 7, 2026, gives her 60 days to pay or file a petition for relief, warning that further action will follow otherwise.

Smith said she intends to fight the penalties and hopes her experience warns other travellers to check current border rules before crossing.