U.S. Representatives ask Canadians for border exemptions for Point Roberts residents
The sister of a U.S. military woman, who ordered to relocate from Point Roberts to Virginia, was not permitted to cross the Canadian border and travel to the isolated Whatcom County town to help in her sister’s move.
Another Point Roberts resident was turned away at the border when his spouse traveled to Bellingham for a doctor’s appointment.
U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.) and Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.) cited these two examples and others in calling for the Canadian government to provide more flexibility and transparency for the U.S. enclave communities of Point Roberts and the Northwest Angle, Minn., isolated during the coronavirus pandemic by the border closure between the two countries.
In a letter Tuesday, Sept. 1., to Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Bill Blair, DelBene and Peterson, who represent the two communities geographically isolated from the rest of the country, asked that residents in those communities be extended an exemption allowing travel through Canada to the U.S. and for more advance notice of future border policy changes.
“The restriction on all discretionary travel at the Canada-U.S. border was extended until Sept. 21, 2020, and was announced only five days before the restrictions were set to expire,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter to Blair. “Should border restrictions continue, more advanced notification of restriction extensions and an explanation of the metrics that contribute to future decisions would be much appreciated by our constituents.
“We would also greatly appreciate exemptions to allow Americans to briefly and safely transit through Canada without exiting vehicles to allow access to Point Roberts and the NW Angle.”
Approximately 1,300 Point Roberts residents cannot travel to the rest of Whatcom County without entering British Columbia, driving approximately 26 miles around Boundary Bay and re-entering the United States in Blaine at the Peace Arch Border Crossing.
Border crossings in Point Roberts and Blaine have been closed since the two countries decided to prohibit non-essential travel in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on March 21. The two countries announced last month a fifth extension of the border restrictions until at least Sept. 21.
Residents in the Northwest Angel, part of northern Lake of the Woods County in Minnesota, have experienced similar hardships, forced to make water crossings to avoid crossing into Canada.
But DelBene and Petersen said allowances should be made for these residents.
“Americans in transit to or from Point Roberts and the NW Angle can enter Canada by car and re-enter the U.S. without stopping or getting out of their vehicle,” DelBene and Peterson wrote. “Individuals who live in or are traveling to Point Roberts and the NW Angle could be identified with drivers’ licenses, leases or ownership documents, for example.
“There are many options that would allow Americans to access these isolated geographic points without any risk of exposure to Canadian citizens residents.”
DelBene and Peterson are not the first to write to Canadian officials regarding the hardships faced by the communities during the pandemic border closure. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee wrote a similar letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Aug. 21, asking for help in finding a solution.
Similar requests from other Washington state politicians have been sent to Canadian and U.S. officials calling for a solution, including an Aug. 10 request DelBene signed with Rep. Rick Larsen and Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell.
Point Roberts’ isolation during the pandemic has previously forced Whatcom County Fire District 5 Chief Christopher Carleton to take to social media and write letters to U.S. and Canadian policymakers saying residents are “living under the equivalent of house arrest.”
Point Roberts resident John Beal started a change.org petition in late May requesting the list of “essential reasons to cross the border” during the COVID-19 crisis be expanded for residents.
The Port of Bellingham and Whatcom Transportation Authority have responded to the issue by announcing that they will provide a short-term, emergency transportation service beginning on Tuesday, Aug. 25. A passenger-only ferry will take Point Roberts residents to the Blaine Harbor, where they can take WTA to the Cordata Station in Bellingham.
This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 1:12 PM.
