Montréal

I was planning on going to Lake Placid with my friends this weekend, and now I can't find either my passport, or my birth certificate.  The Canadian customs site says that you must have  "a government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s licence, PLUS a birth certificate or citizenship card" if you don't have a passport.  All I have is my Medicare card, my Concordia ID, my SIN card...

Question 1:  Is there any way I can make it across the border and back with only my Medicare card/SIN card/something else maybe I haven't thought of?

Question 2:  If my family finds my birth certificate by tomorrow and faxes it to me, is that acceptable, or does if have to be the original paper?

It does also say "There will be a transition period during which time travellers who do not present the appropriate documents may be delayed while U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers attempt to verify their citizenship and identity" but how much of a delay could there be? 

Thanks for any insight. 

Does anyone know where I can rent a good-quality video camera for two or three weeks, preferably somewhere with decent pricing? I'm going on tour with a friend and I'd like to get some footage of her first US tour, you know, for the vaults :) Or if anyone's looking to sell one for cheap, let me know. Thanks for any suggestions!

PS. One can still get into the US by land with just a birth certificate and ID, right? I've been trying to find the date when passports will become mandatory and I think it was 2009 but I haven't found any info.

Hi,
I ordered a book from a seller through Amazon awhile ago that never got here; the seller told me that perhaps it`s stuck at the border (it was mailed from the United States) and told me I should check with my "customs agent" to see if it`s there. What does that mean exactly? Does anyone know where I would call to find out about small things delivered in the mail getting stuck at the US/Canada border? Has anyone here had any experience with this kind of situation before?
If I don`t get my book soon I am soooo screwed, because I needed this book for school WEEKS ago and now I have a test on that book and I don`t have it. :(

Thanks to anyone who may be able to give me some advice! :)

EDIT/update:
Thank you SO much to each and every person who replied! What kind and thoughtful replies. You people rock!
They ended up giving me a full refund, figuring it got lost in the mail. I am very pleased. In my experience, I've usually had to wait MUCH longer for a refund when something is lost in the mail, and the sellers usually give me much hassle first. These people were professional and quick about it, so I'm very relieved. Guess I'm gonna go buy it new at the bookstore tomorrow!

Unless anyone has an old copy of "Drugs, Behavior, and Modern Society" by J. Levinthal lying around that they can sell me? :P

Thanks again, everyone!

Cheers.

So, according to this page, you don't need a passport to get into the US by train/bus/car/whatever:

What Canadians need to enter the United States by land and sea

Currently, Canadians do not require a passport or visa to visit the United States from Canada by land and sea. Canadians can still enter the United States by providing proof of citizenship and identity, such as a birth certificate and government-issued photo identification (e.g. driver's licence).

My question is, when they say "government-issued photo ID" - does that include Medicare?  Because I don't have a driver's licence, and I've been told by friends that they might not accept the Medicare card because it doesn't include proof of residence.  Last fall all I needed was my citizenship card (and my Medicare in case they wanted a photo ID without a photo of me at six years old), but I assume things are a little different now.  Anyone have any clue?  (I'm applying for a passport renewal just in case, but my trip is in 5 weeks so I might not get it in time.)

Hello Montrealers,

Quick question for you: I have a friend coming up to visit in a couple weeks. This person is a permanent resident of the U.S. but needs a visa to come up to visit. I wrote a letter of attestation that I need to get signed by a notary. I've never done this before.

How do I go about seeing a notary? Are there many places around town? What are the costs like, and are they pretty standard?

Thanks!

So, since the difference in prices between amazon.com and amazon.ca is totally ridiculous (e.g a DVD set that if you just factored in the exchange rate should be $42 is actually $59; books also have an outrageous price spread), I'm thinking of just ordering what I want from the US version.  I'm a little worried that I'll get hit with so much border taxes that it's barely worth it anymore, though - I know when ordering from Threadless I always have to pay more at the post office before picking up my stuff.  Does anyone have any experience with this, specifically from amazon.com?  (They mention an estimated import fee in their FAQ but it's not clear whether that applies to DVDs.)

Thank you!