Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester wrote an open letter to President Joe Biden protesting the long COVID-19-closed Canadian border in late May. “As a farmer in north-central Montana,” Tester wrote the president, “I often hear from my neighbors and others in the region about the negative impact the continued border closure has on their daily lives. Each day that passes without resolution is a hit to family farmers and ranchers, small businesses, and the rural communities along the border.”
After some boilerplate about how, of course, it was good that “U.S. and Canadian officials have begun preliminary discussions” about the border, the Montana senator pointed out, “There are still no immediate plans to reopen the border, and there has been no additional guidance on timing.”
That needs to change pronto, Tester said. The two governments must “develop an actionable plan to reopen the northern border for all trade and travel in a timely manner,” he wrote. The reopening plan must “be transparent, include clear guidance on timing, and address the ongoing confusion and frustration on both sides of the border.”
The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to all but what is deemed essential travel since March 21, 2020, an unprecedented restriction. Laurie Trautman, director of Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute, argued in Politico that these travel restrictions “were not only unprecedented but also confusing.” The limits were confusing because “different restrictions were applied to different modes of travel. The definition of ‘essential’ not only varied between the U.S. and Canada but also between border crossings and officers themselves.”
This setup has worked out well enough for some people and terribly for others. “Truck drivers flowed in both directions unabated, yet people living in the isolated community of Point Roberts, Washington, are unable to visit their doctors in Vancouver. Canadians can fly to the United States for any reason whatsoever but can’t drive to visit a relative. For loved ones separated by the border, the impacts are immeasurable,” Trautman wrote.
For measurable impacts, Trautman pointed the Washington Examiner to her institution’s annual “Border Barometer” report, a collaboration of researchers in cross-border regions supported by Canadian consulates. “Cross-border flows of goods, trucks, and people typically move in a predictable pattern. In 2020, these flows were impacted in ways never before experienced. The overall health of border states’ economies, as measured by their GDP, was also rattled,” the researchers found.
Between April and December 2020, America had 94% fewer visitors crossing the Canadian border by land than it had in those same months the year before. For the whole year, entries into America at the over 5,500 miles of shared border fell from 54 million trips in 2019 to 10 million trips in 2020. Most of the trips that did happen occurred before the border restrictions were in place or when there was more wiggle room.
Researchers also found that “Washington and Idaho were the only border states whose GDP was higher in the fourth quarter of 2020 than in the fourth quarter of 2019.” They point out that Washington state was buoyed by its IT businesses, which greatly expanded during the pandemic to help create workarounds for all the lockdown rules and disruptions. For its part, Idaho may have been supported by an inflow of refugees from big cities during a year of social justice rioting.
Since over 60% of cross-border travelers are Canadians, U.S. border communities were harder hit by the border closing than Canadian border communities. This may be one reason why there appears to be more political pressure on the U.S. side of the border to open it up again. Trautman also speculated that Canada’s internal politics, in addition to lower Canadian national levels of vaccination than the U.S., may be playing a role in the foot-dragging.
“Canada’s impending election year is slowing the needed federal response. This is exacerbated by the theatrics of the border restrictions, which are used for political advantage. Whether that’s [Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s vague insistence that the restrictions remain in place until Canada ‘can move forward in a way that is safe’ or Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s criticism that the border restrictions are ‘weak and porous.’ This political fanfare overrides a science-based, data-driven approach, which would suggest that vaccinated travelers — with a negative COVID test — pose virtually no threat,” she wrote in Politico.
The border closure wasn’t really planned, which may be making opening it more difficult. Instead, as many things did during the pandemic, it started as a limited restriction that got extended multiple times, usually in monthly increments. It’s become a regular subject of speculation as the 21st of every month approaches: Will they or won’t they finally open the border back up?
In June, Bill Blair, the Canadian public safety minister, waited until the 18th to announce, in a tweet, that his nation would be extending the ban on nonessential travel until July 21. Rep. Brian Higgins, a congressman from western New York whose district includes Niagara Falls, issued a statement expressing his displeasure with that decision. He teased it on Twitter by writing, “There’s no other way to say it: another month’s delay is bulls***.”
In theory, both countries don’t have to agree. Canada or the U.S. could open the northbound or southbound border crossings and say, “Come on in!” In fact, according to the Northern Light newspaper, which serves the Interstate 5 border town of Blaine, Washington, some decision-makers in the U.S. government have considered doing just that.
On May 27, the paper reported on rumblings within the local Customs and Border Protection offices. “While there has been no official word,” Northern Light publisher Pat Grubb wrote, “two highly placed sources in the Blaine port of entry have told [a] local immigration attorney … that the U.S. intends to unilaterally open the land border without restrictions between the U.S. and Canada on June 22. Another ranking CBP officer also confirmed the news independently. Despite the lack of official confirmation from the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, D.C., several CBP officers have independently confirmed that they have been given word to prepare for a full opening next month.”
This unilateral move on the part of the U.S. would have allowed Canadians to enter the U.S., make use of any properties they own here, and perhaps get vaccinated faster. It would, the Northern Light reported, “place significant pressure on Canada to consider relaxing border restrictions at a time when provincial governments are still locking down their residents.”
However, suppose Canada didn’t cave to that pressure and do a reciprocal border opening. In that case, such a move could also lead to some real problems with many Canadians getting stuck in the U.S., at least temporarily. It appears that those in power in Washington, D.C., seriously considered the idea, almost went for it, but finally decided the diplomatic game of chicken wasn’t worth it.
Garth Baldwin is a member of the Blaine City Council whom the Washington Examiner first spoke with last June when the border in his border town had only been shut down for a few months. Blaine’s economy benefits significantly from border activity, with many shipping and brokerage firms, and so faced some trouble.
“We were on the very brink of a financial renaissance of sorts,” Baldwin said one year ago. “In the past year or so, we have experienced new construction, new businesses, and promised development that we have lacked for decades. Before the COVID-19 pandemic and shutdown, we were poised for a boom here in Blaine. Now, I’m not sure what the future holds.”
From that future, the Washington Examiner asked Baldwin how his town has adapted to the extended closure — who was hardest hit and if he’s hopeful the border will open soon.
“There are the obvious impacts to the city budget,” Baldwin said. “We were fortunate that we were able to make cuts and adjustments so that we didn’t have to lay any city employees off, and our essential programs were not cut. Personally, I waived my monthly stipend for serving on council for over a year.”
Baldwin brought up Peace Arch State Park, which is attached to Blaine. Because of treaty obligations, it’s the only piece of shared border territory between the U.S. and Canada. It is thus a place where Americans and Canadians can walk to and meet face to face. During the pandemic, it has also become a significant wedding venue for Americans and Canadians to meet up and tie the knot.
“The effects on families who have relatives and loved ones across the border has been the subject of numerous news stories showing tents and people congregating in Peace Arch State Park. It’s all being treated with some humor, but for those parents, grandparents, children, and loves, it’s not funny at all,” Baldwin said.
“I know a woman whose father passed, and due to the restrictions, she was unable to visit him as he went and couldn’t go to the funeral. My neighbor was blessed with her first great-grandchild a year ago. She hasn’t been able to enjoy any time with her because of the closure,” he added.
On the upside, the renaissance that Baldwin feared was imperiled didn’t get the memo. Downtown Blaine is busier than it has been in many years. Still, it could be better with Canadians, he argues.
“Considering that Blaine is enjoying a modest increase in downtown business growth without the addition of the usual visitors from north of the border,” Baldwin said, “one can’t help but think how much better our small businesses in town would be doing if folks were free to cross the border as they have in the past.”
