Canadian Border Officials Confiscated This Family's Custom Kid Hauler

Big families need large vehicles. A Canadian couple with eight children had their Canadian-purchased SUV stretched at an Oklahoma body shop, but when they tried to bring it home, Canadian customs officials wouldn't allow it back into the country.

Edwin and Alison Morris said that they had checked with customs officials before having the work done to see if modifications made in the U.S. would be permissible in Canada. They said they were told yes, receiving a shock when their car was impounded at the border six months later.

The Morrises said they could have bought a 12- to 15-passenger van, but that they felt a stretched SUV would be safer. Unable to find anyone in Canada willing to put in the time to custom fabricate a Morris family truckster, they turned to Oklahoma-based Custom Autos by Tim. Tim has six children himself, and has built his business providing six door pickups and SUVs for similarly afflicted parents.

Transport Canada, the government agency in charge of vehicle certification, told LifeSiteNews in an email that vehicles modified overseas are considered imports. The Morrises claim that the car's nationality depends upon where it was first sold, which in their case, is Saskatchewan. Transport Canada, they contend, has no jurisdiction over vehicle modifications.

There's still a possibility that the Morris family may get their stretched sport ute back, and they're pretty confident that it will happen. The Ministry of Transportation still has to contact Tim and see if his modifications jive with Canadian safety standards. (Hat tip to Edward!)

Photo credit: Custom Autos by Tim