Announcement turns a six-year suspension into a permanent closure

The May 11 announcement does not create a new closure so much as formalize one. Four Falls first stopped operating on May 17, 2020, when CBSA suspended service in response to pandemic-era travel restrictions. The agency extended that suspension several times over the following six years without ever reopening the crossing. The 2026 announcement now provides the final legal and operational disposition: Four Falls will not return in any seasonal or interim form.

Four Falls was not the only small land port of entry suspended in 2020. CBSA paused a cluster of remote, low-volume, U.S.-mismatched seasonal crossings during the pandemic; over the past six years some have been reactivated or otherwise resolved, while Four Falls has now been placed firmly in the permanent-closure category — among the last in that 2020 cohort to receive a final determination.

CBSA's four reasons, with "no U.S. counterpart" doing the heaviest lifting

According to CBSA, the decision followed a review of operational needs in Atlantic Canada. Four factors drove the call:

• Seasonal operations. Four Falls historically opened only from mid-April to mid-October, rather than functioning as a year-round crossing.
• Low traffic. In normal operating years it handled roughly 8,000 travellers per season.
• Nearby alternatives. Two other ports of entry sit within 15 km of Four Falls.
• No U.S. counterpart. U.S. Customs and Border Protection does not maintain an adjacent facility on the American side.

CBSA gave particular weight to the final point, saying the permanent closure brings Canadian operations into line with what already exists on the U.S. side of this segment of the boundary. Industry observers read that argument as a signal: when CBSA next reviews other "Canada-only" isolated land crossings, the same logic is likely to be applied, putting the long-term future of similar small seasonal ports in northwestern New Brunswick — and in other remote regions — into focus.

Two alternative crossings within 15 km

For travellers moving between northwestern New Brunswick and Maine, CBSA confirms that two alternative ports of entry are available within 15 km of the closed Four Falls site:

For context, the nearby Gillespie crossing itself was temporarily suspended for staffing reasons in July 2021 — an indication of the broader operational pressure facing small ports in this part of the province. With Four Falls permanently removed from the network, Andover is now the only round-the-clock land port of entry in the immediate area, absorbing all 24-hour crossing demand.

Travellers can verify addresses, contact details, and operating hours in advance through the Directory of CBSA Offices and Services (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/do-rb/menu-eng.html) and consult real-time wait times on CBSA's official border wait-time page (https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/bwt-taf/menu-eng.html).

Failure to report can lead to prosecution under federal statutes

CBSA reiterates that anyone entering Canada must report to the agency at a designated port of entry. Failing to do so can result in fines, seizures, loss of trusted-traveller program status (such as NEXUS), and prosecution under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act or the Customs Act.

The agency also reminds travellers that a prior criminal record — including comparatively minor offences such as impaired driving (DUI) — can render a person inadmissible to Canada and may require additional documentation, such as a Temporary Resident Permit (TRP) or Criminal Rehabilitation, before a successful entry. For residents who regularly cross between New Brunswick and Maine, understanding these rules and choosing one of the remaining operational ports of entry is now more important than ever.