A spokesperson for Canada Border Services Agency says there has certainly been less traffic to the United States as the result of our weak dollar.

Jason Evert is Chief of Operations. He says commercial traffic is still moving, as there hasn't been much change on that front. But other numbers are down.

"It's also winter time when we normally see a downturn in traffic," notes Evert. "So right now we're seeing maybe a little less traffic than we normally would at this time of year but people are still travelling south."

Evert says if someone is gone for seven days or longer, which is typical of snowbirds, their personal exemption is $800 per Canadian in addition to their alcohol and tobacco exemptions. The seven day exemption is different from other exemptions in that a traveller does not need to have all of the goods in their possession upon return. Evert says they can return with a portion of the goods they purchased, with the rest coming by mail.

The seven day, $800 exemption is the maximum. There is also a 48 hour, $800 exemption, though in this case, goods must be in the traveller's possession at time of entry to Canada. For those south of the border between 24 hours and 48 hours, the personal exemption is up to $200 Canadian. Personal exemptions do not apply to same-day cross-border shoppers.

Evert says so far there hasn't been a big change to the amount of goods Canadians are bringing back into Canada that were purchased in the United States.

Meanwhile, Evert encourages travellers to make sure they have their identification, passports and receipts handy upon reaching the border crossing. He says, though not necessary, it is never a bad idea to make a small purchase as soon as you cross the border into the U.S. in order to have a time stamped receipt as proof for when you crossed into the U.S.