Flying through Canadian airspace

In a previous article, "M" said:
I'll take a few flights between Rochester, NY and the Detroit area this
summer. Going through the Canadian airspace just seems so much
shorter. I can go IFR.

I'm a member of the Rochester Flying Club and I fly into or over Canada
quite frequently.

My questions is:

* I don't need to deal with customs at all, as long as I don't stop at
Canada, right?

Correct.

* Do I need to use the ICAO flight plan for the IFR, or is the FAA
domestic flight plan sufficient for these flights?

The standard FAA flight plan works for over flights or even for flights
into Canada.

* Since I'll use Canadian ATC service during the overflight, will I
get a bill from NavCanada when I get home?

Yes, it's still around $15 (Canadian), and it's good for a whole quarter -
so if you fly back before the quarter is over, you won't get another bill.

* Is it easier to do this IFR or VFR? I assume doing this IFR would
make the Canadian overflight easier, but I'm very open to suggestions.

IFR is easier. If it's VFR, you MUST be on a flight plan and you MUST be
talking to ATC and on an assigned squawk code while crossing the border.
If you're going to file and talk to ATC, you might as well do it IFR.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
But seriously, I've got root, so it's his problem.
-- Nick Manka