'Hope for the best': Point Roberts residents welcome Canada-U.S. land border reopening
Communities along the U.S.-Canada border are breathing a sigh of relief, after the White House confirmed it will reopen the land border in early November.
Land and sea borders have been shut down for 19 months due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic.
The closures have had a massive impact on nearby communities like Point Roberts.
The small pene-exclave is separated from the rest of Washington state by water on three sides.
Land access to the community is only possible by travelling through B.C.
Brian Calder, the president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, described the shutdown as “economically devastating and a humanitarian crisis that was mostly unnecessary.”
“Half our people here in Point Roberts, including me, are dual citizens. We’re Canadian and U.S. Ninety per cent of our economy comes from Canada, not from the USA. All of our water and power comes from British Columbia,” explained Calder.
Fully vaccinated Americans have been able to enter Canada for non-essential reasons since Aug. 9.
However, the U.S. upheld its closure, angering snowbirds and those in the travel industry.
Air travel has also continued throughout the pandemic, with travellers being allowed to fly with proof of a negative COVID-19 test.
Calder said he welcomes the reopening plan, but is skeptical.
“I've seen the realization of what happened to us on the ground. Every month, the carrot's out there for a year and a half. You have to be really stupid to not really see it in writing before you're going to believe it,” he told CTV News.
Several businesses in Point Roberts have shut down during the pandemic due to a dramatic drop in tourism.
“Whether we recover in two years, five years, that's the wild card, and we're obviously going to hope for the best,” said Calder.
He’s concerned that many of their regular visitors will not come back.
“The boats are gone, they've left. They left a year and a half ago. They took their boats out of the marina, 650 of them. The gasoline, are they going to come down? Have they found another place for their parcel post? In a year and a half, they probably have,” Calder said.
The White House has not given a definitive answer as to whether AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, which has not been approved for use in the U.S., would be accepted under the new travel requirements.
However, the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it would accept any of the vaccines approved for emergency use by the World Health Organization, which would include AstraZeneca.
The U.S. CDC said it’s still working to formalize procedures for admitting those who have received mix and match doses.
An exact date for the land border reopening has not been given.
With files from CTV’s Nafeesa Karim and Ian Holliday
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Canadian couple among tourists on sinking sailing boat tour abroad
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Accused of burglary at stepmother's home, U.S. senator says she wanted her father's ashes: charges
A Minnesota state senator and former broadcast meteorologist told police that she broke into her stepmother's home because her stepmother refused to give her items of sentimental value from her late father, including his ashes, according to burglary charges filed Tuesday.
Twins from Toronto were Canada's top two female finishers at this year's Boston Marathon
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.