for anyone interested, this is my neck of
the woods and the writer is correct
- everything has changed.
PRINT EDITION
Right next door, yet frustratingly far away
JANE ARMSTRONG visits the village of Point Roberts, Wash., where people regularly slipped back and forth over the border into Canada. Sept. 11 changed all that
By JANE ARMSTRONG
Monday, October 22, 2001 – Page A3
There was a time, before Sept. 11, when the border crossing in this U.S. hamlet was a minor irritant, the place where you had to flash some ID when you needed to cross into Canada.
Located at the foot of a Canadian peninsula south of Vancouver, Point Roberts is a 12.7-square-kilometre patch of the United States that dips below the 49th parallel but is surrounded by Canadian water and land.
Life here became complicated after Sept. 11.
Within hours of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, traffic in and out of town slowed to a crawl as border crossings across North America went on high alert.
Point Roberts restaurant owner Joan Roberts knew within minutes of hearing about the attacks that her livelihood was in trouble. Eighty-five per cent of her customers come from Canada.
"I knew right away this was going to be bad," Ms. Roberts said as she wiped down her bar during an interview last week.
Like other business owners in town, her prices are listed in Canadian dollars and she accepts loonies at par.
"They were saying they suspected the terrorists came in from Canada and they were checking all vehicles."
As it turned out, the terrorists didn't use Canada as a gateway to the United States, but vehicle checks became the norm and, now, almost six weeks after the attacks, lineups, in and out of the country, are still long.
Ms. Roberts feared the border waits to get into Point Roberts would scare off customers. She was right.
Since Sept. 11, business at her restaurant has dropped 30 per cent. She laid off nine employees and cut back her menu. She is toying with offering potential Canadian customers free rides to and from her restaurant to lure them across the border.
Other Point Roberts residents have also suffered.
Terrie LaPorte, who operates a bed-and-breakfast near the beach, said she had a 100-per-cent cancellation rate after Sept. 11. In the past five weeks, she has had two guests.
Most of her clientele is American, from big centres such as Seattle and Portland, Ore.
"The phone started ringing on Sept. 12," Ms. LaPorte said.
"The last thing people wanted to do was go through two border crossings. They wanted to stay at home."
Cut off physically and psychologically from the U.S. mainland, Point Roberts has an end-of-the world feel to it. There are only a handful of stores, a smattering of oceanside eateries, a marina, a primary school and a beach, and that's about it. Its population is just over 1,100. Most visitors are Vancouverites, looking for peace and quiet and unobstructed views of the Pacific Ocean.
"It's a beautiful place to live," Ms. Roberts said. "It's quiet and rural and right next door to this fabulous, international city."
However, residents looking for high-end amenities, nightlife, organized recreation, even a plumber, must cross the border into Tsawwassen, B.C., a busy bedroom community and ferry port. The dividing line between the two towns and countries is a paved street called Roosevelt Way.
Ms. Roberts said the stalled borders are particularly depressing because they come at a time when travel between Canada and the United States has never been easier. Freer trade policies and speedy border lanes for frequent travellers made crossing the border as easy as flashing some picture ID and purchasing a special car sticker.
Ms. Roberts, who has dual citizenship, always regarded the border crossing as a symbol of the friendship between Canada and the United States. It's sad that the border crossings have become flash points for suspicion and mistrust, she added.
Prior to Sept. 11, she thought nothing of jumping in her car and driving to Tsawwassen to shop. Sometimes, she would make several crossings a day.
Her teenage boys, who attend high school in Blaine, Wash., about 55 kilometres away on the mainland, must go through Canada to get to school. They also play soccer several times a week in Tsawwassen, where her 16-year-old son's best friend lives. The two used to hang out at the 7-Eleven in Canada.
Ms. Roberts said her boys sometimes make up to 36 border crossings a week.
Since Sept. 11, travel to school in Blaine and soccer practice in B.C. have become a gruelling waiting game, Ms. Roberts said. And her son's visits with his Canadian friend have been curtailed.
On Sept. 12, the school bus was held up for six hours at the two border crossings. One week in late September, the teenager spent a total of 26 hours in border lineups.
Ms. Roberts and other business owners have complained to their congressman about the border lineups. Recently, border staff has been beefed up on the U.S. side.
Ms. Roberts, meanwhile, hopes the border delays don't become permanent.
"Our countries have so much in common," she said. "There are more similarities than differences. The border has always been a symbol of peace. I think we'll get back to that." |
