The longest unprotected border — Canada and the United States — has been closed for a year and a day. Day 21 of the month has been a trigger that the border would be closed for another month. Things are so bad that TFN (til further notice) is now the operating acronym.
We have written about Hyder, Alaska and Stewart, British Columbia. We know the Detroit-Windsor story. There are hundreds of similar arrangements along the Canada-U.S. border, a border that has now been shut down for a year and a day.
A Whitehorse, Yukon woman had to self-isolate at home for 14 days after accidentally crossing into Alaska to pick blueberries.
The Current on CBC Radio One recently looked into the border impact with Stanstead, Quebec on the border with Derby Line, Vermont.
No border area has had quite the adventure during this pandemic as Point Roberts, Washington.
Point Roberts, Washington is surrounded on 3 sides by water and the other side by Tsawwassen in Canada. If you have ever taken the BC Ferries from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay (just north of Victoria), then you have seen Point Roberts from a distance.
Before the pandemic, Canadians would cross into Point Roberts to pick up parcels and buy cheap gas. Americans would cross over to gain access to Vancouver or go for a drugstore and hospital by crossing 2 international borders to go to the rest of Washington state.
There isn't a ferry service to get people to Bellingham in Washington state, so the isolation in Point Roberts is significant. The border closing grew that isolation exponentially.
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The video (above) is a documentary from Off the Cuff, who traveled to Point Roberts by renting a private boat to access the town via the water. They talk to local residents, walk along the border, and look into a proposal for Canada to annex Point Roberts.
Point Roberts is less developed than Tsawwassen. Some of the locals expressed concern that their property values would sharply increase if the town were to become a part of Tsawwassen.
Road to Roxham explores the world of what was the most famous unofficial border crossing from nearby Plattsburgh, NY into Quebec. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought that crossing to a halt.
This CBC short docs original documentary tells the story of the taxi drivers who bring refugees to the border to cross into Canada. Though there has been a change in the U.S. administration, you still have to think this crossing will become relevant once the border is reopened.
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CanadianCrossing.com border crossings coverage
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CanadianCrossing.com travel coverage
The words "essential travel" have been tossed around. To many of these communities, their friends and family are on the other side of the border. Their interactions have not been considered "essential."
We know hundred of thousands of lives have been impacted by the loss of access to the Canada-U.S. border. We hope the opening will be soon but we aren't counting on that happening soon.
video credit: YouTube/Off the Cuff
photo credit: Road to Roxham film
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