VANCOUVER -- When times are good, the Chevron station located just across the Canada-U.S. border in Blaine, Wash. is refuelled by tankers every three days. But not a single tanker has been required since the border was closed to non-essential travel.
“Been here my whole life and I’ve never seen anything like it,” said station owner Mike Hill.
He figures business is down 95 per cent.
“Twenty miles south there may be 80,000 people. If I go 20 miles north, there’s three million. That three million has been cut off,” said Hill.
Cut off are British Columbians who come to Blaine for cheaper gasoline, milk and cheese. Some stop by on their way to other U.S. destinations.
“And not just B.C., but Alberta, Alaska, California and Arizona,” said a Blaine resident.
Dozens of shops, which double as post offices for Canadians wanting to avoid duty on deliveries, are filled with packages that haven’t been picked up.
“They’re hurting big time, there’s no question about it,” said another Washington state resident.
“My wife says I’ve never been more relaxed, I swear. Because there’s nothing you can do," added Hill.
He said locals are spending these quiet days sprucing up the town as they wait for the border to re-open.
