3-hour border waits reported as long weekend begins in B.C.

The lineup at the Peace Arch border crossing in South Surrey is seen on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024. (DriveBC)

Wait times to enter the United States from Metro Vancouver ballooned to three hours on Saturday, at the start of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation long weekend.

The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol showed waits of 180 minutes at both the Peace Arch and Pacific Highway crossings as of noon on Saturday.

Average Saturday wait times at that hour are 74 minutes or less, according to the U.S. agency.

The CBP website showed five lanes open at both crossings, and an officer working in Blaine, Wash., called CTV News to urge B.C. travellers heading for the U.S. to seek alternate routes.

The Lynden border crossing in Aldergrove was showing a wait of 75 minutes as of noon Saturday – more than double the crossing's Saturday average of 35 minutes.

Things were moving more quickly at the Sumas crossing in Abbotsford, however, with waits down to 25 minutes by 1 p.m.

That's below the crossing's Saturday average of 41 minutes.

This Monday marks the fourth observation of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which became a statutory holiday in 2021.

The day is a time for reflecting on the legacy of Canada's Indigenous residential school system, honouring its survivors and commemorating the children who did not return.

This year, it also creates a three-day weekend that – unlike the Labour Day and Thanksgiving long weekends – does not coincide with a long weekend in the United States.