Jamesdavid3 said:
anyone else from a Visa Exempt country had any issues coming back in without their PR Card?
My husband was almost denied boarding on an Incheon (Seoul) to Toronto direct flight (homeward leg of a return trip). He's an American passport holder. They didn't want to let him board with just his passport since it was a one way trip not ending in the US. He then showed them his PR card. They thought it had expired (they misread the date) and told him he still couldn't board the flight. Once they were able to confirm the card was still valid they let him board.
Having said that, my husband flew in and out of Canada several times between the time he became a PR and the time he got his phyiscal PR card - and was fine on all of those flights (they were to the US as well as international destinations). My husband travels extensively and the Incheon episode is the one and only time he's ever had to show his PR card when attempting to fly home from outside of Canada.
Short answer: I think refusals do happen from time to time. But it's extremely rare.