International Boundary Commission

Act: International Boundary Commission Act, R.S.C. 1985, c. 1-16
Regulation: Not applicable 

To Whom Does This Apply?

Any person or organization doing work along the Canada-United States boundary.

Summary

The International Boundary Commission Act governs the maintenance of an effective boundary line between Canada and the Unites States. Except with the permission of the Commission, no person shall: 

• construct or place, within three metres of the boundary, any work or any addition to a work; or
• enlarge any work that was, on July 6, 1960, within three metres of the boundary.

The International Boundary Commission is a bilateral treaty organization created in 1908 and permanently established in 1925. It is responsible for: 

• inspecting the boundary regularly;
• repairing, relocating and reconstructing the damaged boundary monuments and buoys;
• keeping the boundary vista (six metres) clear of the trees and bushes;
• erecting new monuments as required;
• regulating all construction within three metres of the boundary line;
• determining the location of the boundary line in any legal situation;
• reporting annually on the work performed during the year and providing to both governments the latest data on the boundary monuments.

The Canadian section of the Commission has its office in Ottawa, while the United States section has its headquarters in Washington.

DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this section is of a general nature only and is not intended to constitute advice for any specific fact situation. For particular questions, the users are invited to contact their lawyer. For additional information, see contact(s) listed below.

Manitoba Contact(s):
See National Contact. 

National Contact(s):
Mr. Joe Harriettha
Field Engineer
International Boundary Commission
Natural Resources Canada
615 Booth Street, Room 573
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0E9
Telephone: 613-992-1414
Fax: 613-947-1337
TTY (hearing impaired): 613-996-4397
E-mail: jharriet@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/com/index-eng.php
 

Mr. Michael J. O'Sullivan
Commissioner
Natural Resources Canada
615 Booth Street, Room 555
Ottawa, Ontario  K1A 0E9
Telephone: (613) 995-4341
TTY (hearing impaired): 613-996-4397
E-mail: Michael.O'Sullivan@nrcan.gc.ca
Web site: http://www.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca/com/index-eng.php