With Canada testing ending, what will it mean for Whatcom cross-border traffic?
With another round of restrictions going away on Friday, April 1, local officials and businesses are expecting a robust increase to cross border travel into Whatcom County.
Earlier this month Canada announced that it is dropping the testing requirement for vaccinated travelers beginning Friday. Travelers are still required to submit information into the ArriveCAN app or website before arriving at the border crossing.
Dropping the testing requirement is a big deal, particularly for Canadians who regularly crossed into Whatcom County for shopping or visits prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the easing of other restrictions to allow for rapid tests earlier this year, the data showed a steady increase in cross-border traffic. It went from fewer than 5,000 vehicles going northbound and southbound a day in February to more than 7,800 vehicles crossing the five Whatcom borders on Friday, March 18, according to data compiled by British Columbia and Washington state agencies.
However it’s still less than half the total typically seen prior to the pandemic, said Laurie Trautman, director at the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University.
“I’d expect that upward trend to continue at an even greater rate when the test requirement is dropped,” Trautman said in an email.
The easing of restrictions arrive just ahead of some holiday weekends that Canadians traditionally celebrate by visiting Whatcom County, so those could be especially busy times. That includes Easter weekend on April 16 and Victoria Day on May 23.
Some Whatcom businesses are hopeful that dropping the testing requirement will lead to more cross-border traffic. Alan Finston, co-owner of the The Vault Wine Bar and Event Space in Blaine, said they’ve seen slow, incremental growth in traffic in recent weeks.
“But we’re hoping for a bigger jump after April 1,” Finston said in an email.
At Mail Boxes International in Blaine, Brant Baron said his business is seeing a 30% increase in volume this week compared to the previous one, an indication that Canadians are already making more trips into Whatcom County. Baron said he also expects traffic to increase as gas prices remain significantly higher in British Columbia compared to Whatcom County.
The airlines at Bellingham International Airport also are anxious to see more customary levels of land border crossings, said Sunil Harman, director of aviation for the Port of Bellingham. Easing some requirements in late February resulted in a surge in demand from Canadian customers in March, which is typically a peak month because of spring break travel.
Bookings also are strong for trips after April 1, he said.
“The surge in pent-up demand being called ‘revenge travel’ will make for an active summer for our airport,” Harman said in an email.
For the Canadian shoppers, its currency is hovering around 80 cents compared to the U.S. dollar and could get stronger if commodities, such as oil remain, expensive.
As for getting back to pre-pandemic levels in terms of cross-border traffic, Trautman said she believes it will take some time.
“I think what we really need to see is an extended period of time without restrictions, so that the traveling public feels they can plan a cross-border trip,” Trautman said, noting that the dropping of the testing requirement by Canada feels tenuous and could be reinstated if infections spike again.
While it may take some time to get to pre-pandemic traffic levels, long wait times could happen as travelers, particularly Americans, get used to the ArriveCAN app.
“The main issue is that ArriveCan is a Canadian program, and there is no U.S. equivalent, so while many Canadians crossing are pretty familiar with it, Americans are not,” Trautman said.
NEXUS/FAST enrollment centers reopen
U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday, March 31, that U.S.-based NEXUS and U.S./Canada FAST enrollment centers will reopen April 19, though centers located in Canada will remain closed.
Conditionally approved applicants will be able to begin scheduling interviews Tuesday, April 5 though the Trusted Traveler portal, according to a release Thursday.
With the centers in Canada remaining closed, Canadian applicants will be allowed to enter the U.S. to complete their interviews, assuming them meet travel requirements, according to the release.
“CBP asks all applicants to be patient, as there is a backlog of applications to be processed by a limited number of open enrollment centers,” the release stated.
NEXUS is a CBP program that allows expedited clearance for per-approved, low-risk Canadian travelers into the U.S., while FAST allows quicker clearance into the U.S. for per-approved, low-risk commercial drivers from Canada and Mexico.
—David Rasbach (drasbach@bhamherald.com) contributed to this story.
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
