Valerie Burton was trying to ship a badge for completing the West Coast Trail to an American hiker, before running into a logistical roadblock after the suspension of the U.S. de minumus exemption. Photo by Valerie Burton / Submitted

All Valerie Burton wanted to do was send a trinket to someone in the U.S.

She got a bureaucratic headache instead.

When the Lantzville resident popped into the post office to send her package south from Vancouver Island, she was informed of Canada Post’s new rules: “All postal shipments to the U.S. will require prepaid duties before your package crosses the border — regardless of their value or country of origin.”

With the U.S. set to suspend the “de minimis” threshold — no duty on anything below US$800 — on Friday after an executive order was signed b

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