Meanwhile, I received a long lecture from a CBS agent at the same Lacolle border last week because I had brought back $219 US in goods, over the legal $199 CDN limit.

I learned that if you bring back a dollar more than  $199, CDN, you don't just pay taxes and duties on the overage.. you loose the entire exemption.

Where do they get the time and money to hassle Canadians over these trivial matters?