Want to visit my kids

[US Father]

I have two Canadian children ages 5 and 7 who live in BC. Their mother ended our marriage in 2006 before my application for permanent residence was finalized. I have joint legal custody and the children lived with me half-time until November 2009, when I had to come to the States to visit family I had not seen for five years. If I fly to Vancouver on a round-trip ticket, what are the chances of Immigration allowing me into the country to visit my children for a few weeks? I have a temporary resident's permit that expires in April, but it says it's not good for re-entry. Should I get a document from the consulate before flying to Vancouver? I don't want to invest in a ticket if they won't let me in because they suspect me of trying to settle permanently. I lived in Canada most of the time from 2001-2009 and always maintained temporary legal status. I have no black marks on my CIC record and no criminal record.

[toby]

Normally US citizens get an automatic visitor's visa at the border.  If you were in Canada legally on temporary visas, then you must have exited Canad before their expiry, and you should have no trouble repeating that experience.