Most Canadians still want U.S. border to remain closed during coronavirus pandemic
Canadians still overwhelmingly want to see the border with the United States remain closed during the coronavirus pandemic, and British Columbia’s top doctor says she doesn’t expect any cross-border vacation traffic to be allowed this summer.
The border between the two countries was closed to all non-essential travel for 30 days on March 21 in an effort to stop the transmission of COVID-19. That closure has been extended a month at a time, and is currently set to expire on July 21.
But, if most Canadians have their way, it will stay closed even longer.
The Toronto Globe and and Mail reported last week that a Nanos Research survey asked Canadian residents if they felt the border should open to non-essential travel or if they would prefer to see it stay closed for the forseeable future.
Of those polled, 81% said the border should stay closed, 14% said it should open now for areas where transmission rates are low and 3% said it should open immediately, with 2% saying they were unsure.
“The response is actually quite surprising considering we are a border country that relies on the United States for our livelihood … (it) suggests that Canadians have a very high level of anxiety about what’s happening in the pandemic in the United States,” Pollster Nik Nanos told the Globe and Mail.
And it’s hard to blame Canadians for wanting to keep Americans out.
As of Friday, Johns Hopkins University was reporting more than a quarter of the 12.3 million confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide were in the United States and nearly a quarter of the 557,000-plus deaths worldwide linked to the illness are Americans.
British Columbia has seen 3,028 cases and 186 deaths during the pandemic, according to Johns Hopkins — or 10% the 38,581 cases and 1,409 death the Washington State Department of Health reported as of Wednesday, July 8.
No summer vacation?
With a disparity like that, it’s no wonder Dr. Bonnie Henry said British Columbia is “very concerned” about the number of cases the U.S. is seeing and said it was unlikely there would be any summer vacation travel between the two countries, according to a story by CTV News.
Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix made the comments at a briefing on Monday, July 7, CTV reported.
“It’s important to remember it’s not just the issue of people visiting Canada,” Dix said, according to CTV. “It’s Canadians visiting the United States that would not be possible at this point.”
In fact, Henry said in Monday’s briefing that she was unaware of any B.C. cases that were the result of U.S. travelers in the province.
On Wednesday, July 8, the Canadian Border Services Agency reminded Canadians in a tweet that “there may be a legitimate reason for the presence ... of United States plated vehicles/vessels ... Canada such as essential workers, immediate family members, returning ... Canada residents or transiting individuals going home.”
Pushing for a plan
Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, some members of the U.S. House of Representatives from states along the border are trying to push U.S. and Canadian officials to develop a plan on how to open the border, according to a nny360.com article last week.
According to the story, representatives from New York, Maine, Minnesota, Michigan and other border states sent a letter to Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair, asking the two countries to begin developing a plan for re-opening the border.
“As members representing congressional districts across the U.S. Northern Border, we understand the importance of prioritizing the safety of our communities as we all navigate the complex calculation of minimizing public health risks and resuming economic activity,” the letter reads, according to nny360.com. “However, the social and economic partnership between our two nations necessitates a clear pathway forward.”
The story did not say if any Washington state representatives had signed the letter.
Point Roberts pass?
The representatives are not the only ones itching for the border policies to be examined.
According to a July 3 CTV News story, British Columbians who own Whatcom County property in Point Roberts have petitioned for an exemption to cross the border so they can check on their houses, boats and even some animals.
Kevin McIntosh started a petition at change.org that as of Friday had been signed more than 2,800 times, stating that he and other property owners were unable to maintain vacation homes, boats or boarded houses due to the border closure, and wanted to receive permission to cross into the U.S. to tend to them.
“I propose a special dispensation allowing Canadians access to their property, boats and animals in Point Roberts, WA to perform maintenance, removal or care functions under controlled conditions, i.e. no contact with local residents for business or pleasure purposes,” McIntosh wrote on change.org.
Truck crossings rebound
On a positive note, freightwaves.com reported on Tuesday, July 7, that truck crossings from the United States into Canada had returned to pre-coronavirus levels.
During the holiday week that ended Sunday, July 5, 87,500 truck drivers entered Canada from the U.S. — almost identical to the number that crossed the border the same week in 2019, freightwaves.com reported. It was the first time since March that 2019 levels had been reached.
Because essential travel, including shipping goods between the two countries, has been allowed during the border closure, freightwaves.com reported that U.S.-to-Canada freight traffic has remained within about 10% of the normal seasonal levels.
Both countries’ economies rely heavily on one another, and that is definitely seen here in Whatcom County.
The Western Washington University Border Policy Research Institute has found that Canadians comprise approximately 75% of cross-border travelers to and from Whatcom County, depending on the exchange rate, according to information Director Laurie Trautman emailed to The Bellingham Herald. In 2018, that would have represented approximately 10.5 million southbound Canadian travelers through the Blaine, Lynden, Sumas and Point Roberts points of entry.
Those Canadians represent a large portion of consumers in Whatcom County — anywhere from 2% to 46% of the weekend customer base Whatcom County retailers see, Trautman reported, adding that the average is about 17%.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
