KIDS COME UNDER SCRUTINY AT BORDERS.

Byline: Kristin Jackson Seattle Times

If you've driven to Vancouver, British Columbia, for a spring or summer weekend, you've probably been hit with the border blues. It's that sinking feeling that comes from facing a half-hour - or longer - snarl of cars waiting to cross the line.

It's no surprise there are delays at the U.S.-Canada border at Blaine, Wash., especially in the peak summer season; more than 4 million travelers a year stream up Interstate 5 and cross into British Columbia there.

Once you finally reach the Canadian customs inspection booth, it's usually painless. The inspector asks a couple of questions, then waves the carload on. But if you're traveling with children, be prepared for a bit more scrutiny at Blaine or anywhere you enter Canada, thanks to the ``Missing Children Program.''

For most traveling families, the program will bring at most an extra question or two from a Canadian border official. But a few adults and children may be taken aside to be questioned further by immigration officials - and some even may be denied entry to Canada.

It's all for a very good cause - safeguarding children and stopping them from being spirited across the border in custody disputes or abductions.

This Immigration Canada program, run in co-operation with U.S. agencies, is working. In the B.C./Yukon region alone, more than 150 abducted or runaway children have been recovered in the last seven years.

Parents who aren't living with a child because of divorce or separation and adults who are not a child's legal guardian will face the most scrutiny, said Russ Bleackley, the Immigration Canada manager at the Douglas border crossing (as the crossing at Blaine is known on the Canadian side).

A parent traveling alone with his or her child while the other parent stays at work or home in the U.S. may be asked a few extra questions by a customs inspector, but it's usually resolved very quickly. (A letter of permission from the other parent isn't required but could ease the way.)

If you're traveling to Canada with children under age 18, here are some tips on how to make the border crossing trouble-free.

Immigration Canada asks that travelers always carry identification for themselves and their children. Picture ID is best, such as a driver's license for adults and teens. For younger children, bring student ID or a birth certificate. (Passports are the best identification, but they're not required for Americans entering Canada.)

You may not be asked to show ID - in several recent car trips to B.C. with my family we've not been asked for it - but you should have it with you.

If you are a single parent, have copies of relevant legal documents such as custody rights.

If you are not the legal guardian of the child, carry a letter from the parent or guardian giving permission for you to enter Canada with the child.

The letter doesn't need to be notarized (although that adds extra clout) but make sure it states the name of the child; the name of the person the child is authorized to travel with; and the name, address and phone numbers of the parent or legal guardian who's granting travel permission. Specifying the travel dates could help.

If you're traveling with other families as part of a caravan, make sure you are in the same vehicle as your children at the border.