Communities south of the B.C. Washington State border in Whatcom County have suffered the biggest drop in Canadian cross-border visits of any U.S. destinations.
That was one finding in a report presented to Bellingham City Council on Dec. 8 by Laurie Trautman, director of the Western Washington University Border Policy Research Institute.
Monthly land crossings into the U.S. from Aldergrove and other B.C. border communities have fallen 35 to 40 per cent compared to an average drop of 22 per cent at the top three busiest regions, Detroit, Buffalo, and Niagara Falls, Trautman said.
“Whatcom County has faced the most severe drop in travel compared to these other regions” Trautman told the Bellingham mayor and council.
“Part of this is our geography. Our cross border travel is heavily dominated by Canadians because we have such a large population north of the border compared to our relatively rural population in Whatcom County.”
Among the Canadians still travelling south, a larger percentage are going to visit relatives or for recreation or vacation, while fewer are shopping or buying gas, possibly because of a weak Canadian dollar and the end of the Canadian carbon tax on gas, Trautman suggested.
Canadian participation in sporting events like the Bellingham Bay Marathon are down nearly 50 per cent, and the Bellingham airport estimates a 40 per cent drop in Canadian passengers, she added.
Trautman also found the reason many Canadians are staying away has shifted, from anger at President Donald Trump’s tariffs and anti-Canadian comments, to concern about encounters with American border authorities.
“We had comments about Canada becoming a 51st state coming from President Trump, which of course angered Canadians – incredibly so,” Trautman said.
“But lately, I’ve been hearing more and more Canadians talk about their reticence to cross the border out of fear of the border crossing experience itself and also out of fear of their safety in the United States. So Canadians perspectives of the United States have changed changed fundamentally over the last year.”
Her report wrapped up by saying “the loss of trust with our allies and neighbors impacts our quality of life in ways that can’t be measured and may be difficult to repair.”
In response to questions from council, Trautman was doubtful the damage to U.S.-Canadian relations can be quickly mended by local initiatives, such as Bellingham council’s visit to Langley City in September, but those efforts should continue. Over the longer run, she was optimistic.
“It’s a difficult challenge [but] it’s not going to last forever,” Trautman said. “We will have continued cross border travel. We will have those families and those friends [on both sides] that are always going to want to be together and maintain those relations. I think the more we can sort of nurture the relationship in the next few years, the better off we will be once we can actually start to repair it.”
The Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) at Western Washington University describes itself as “a multi-disciplinary institute that undertakes research that informs policymakers on matters related to the Canada – U.S. border, particularly in the British Columbia – Washington State region.”