So a rumour of the US border reopening but there is no mention of Canada being involved so it may just be the USA trying to force the situation. Canadians would be able to go to the US but would still have to quarantine on return to Canada. BUT, things could change over the next month. I have wondered for awhile about a potential reopening at the start of Summer, maybe just for partially or fully vaccinated people possibly?
All Points Bulletin Article:
While there has been no official word, a highly placed source in the Blaine port of entry told local immigration attorney Len Saunders on May 25 that the U.S. intends to unilaterally open the land border without restrictions between the U.S. and Canada on June 22. Another ranking CBP officer also confirmed the news independently. It appears to be common scuttlebutt among regular line officers both in the CBP and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The current border closure order was extended on May 20 until June 21.
The border was closed to non-essential traffic on March 20, 2020. At the same time, the U.S. also suspended biometrics processing at e-SAFE ports of entry for non-essential travel and has extended the suspension each month in coordination with the border closure. Biometric processing requires individuals who are submitting electronic immigration files to go to designated ports of entry for photographs and fingerprints. On Tuesday, May 25, local immigration attorneys were notified that biometric processing had resumed, effective immediately.
Saunders declined to identify his first source publicly but said, “He has been highly reliable in the past and is in a position to know.” Saunders said the second source is equally reliable. There have been inchoate rumors circulating the last few days in government circles regarding upcoming changes to border restrictions but nothing definite.
If accurate, the U.S. move will place significant pressure on Canada to consider relaxing border restrictions at a time when provincial governments are still locking down their residents. Travel from one part of B.C. to another is still prohibited as is inter-provincial movement. Still, with Canadians eager to return to travel to their cabins in the U.S. or to vacation destinations, the Canadian government will be hard-pressed to deal with returning residents who don’t want to undergo 14-day quarantines as currently required. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had recently said the border would not be opened until 75 percent of Canadians had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Absent a similar move from the Canadian government, the U.S. decision will not affect the ability of Point Roberts residents to access the mainland for non-essential purposes. It will, however, allow Canadian cabin owners to enter Point Roberts. As well, once they are here, they will be able to take advantage of Covid-19 vaccinations available through the health clinic and fire district.
At time of press, calls seeking information from CBP, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and U.S. federal politicians had not been returned.
Okay, where to start. I will put the map I posted here as well since that post didn’t get punted here.
Many years ago Point Roberts had two land border crossings points. The one they closed at Maple Beach is very close to our cabin. The old customs building is still there on the Canadian Side.
At 9-11 life changed at PR. It used to be you drove up and sometimes the US guards would just wave you through. If they questioned us it was “where you going”. Answer “Our cabin at Maple Beach”. Reply “Have fun” or maybe just a wave of the hand. The border was closed at 9-11 for awhile, I cant recall if it was days, weeks or a month or more now. It has never been the same since. Even having Nexus now we are still asked more questions than we were years ago without it.
Water and Electricity supplied by Canada but are distributed by the PR Water District and by Puget Sound Energy. Until 1986 BC Tel was the Telephone Company there as well supplying service from the Beach Grove Exchange on 56th Street at about 11th Avenue on the Canadian Side. The 604-945 exchange was used for PR while the Canadian Side had/still has the 604-943 and 948 exchanges. 945 was what was called a “Protected NNX” in WA Area Code 206 back then as well and dialling 206-945 would get you to PR July as dialling 604-945 did.
In 1985 or 1986 BC Tel gave notice to the US FCC of intentions to stop providing telephone service to PR as all US telephone customers were soon to be allowed to pick the Long Distance carrier the wanted by simply dialling 1. Prior to that they could pick their LD carrier but they had to dial with codes or an 800 number and then dial their call. BC Tel had no ability to provide that as we were somewhat behind the USA in deregulation AND the Beach Grove Exchange was still an electro-mechanical switching CO. Also, PR was an area generating almost no income with very few businesses and lots of residential with much of the residential being seasonal cabins. Had that not happened it would be great for us now as it was a local call from the Vancouver Area when under BC Tel.
Yes there are many streets that dead end at the border where you can just walk across. I used to go on my bike to buy a paper from a little store a few blocks into Canada many years ago. It is very easy to wind up on the other side of the border while walking on the beach as well.
Over the last year (Covid) since the border closed on March 21, 2020..residents of PR can go to the “continent” (Mainland USA) by driving through Canada ONLY if it is for an approved necessary reason. Work, school, medical appointments etc. They can not go through Canada because they want to go to Costco and they can NOT stop in Canada on the way. I’m sure many have tried it and many people are pretty adept at lying so some have likely been successful. But I suspect they are not wandering back and forth on a whim and not shopping in Canada. As always, break the rules, get caught and since it involves breaking immigration rules you may pay the price trying to cross the border for the rest of your life. Owning a cabin there means we keep very honest at the border to avoid being unable to get there without a battle in the future.
We have been paying the bills for our place there for over a year now and haven’t been there at all. And we haven't seen my wife’s parents except on the iPad in the last year. We were extremely lucky to have them there to look after our place for us, cut the lawn, turn the water off for winter and generally check that all was okay. We had started to take food down to our freezer there in February 2020 so we told them to help themselves for some variety compared to what the one grocery store there has, Everything goes in and out from/to mainland USA under bond I guess. Canada isn't involved in their food supply.
IMHO we (Canada) are pretty good neighbours to PR and the US in general. Come and go the 23 miles through Canada to the rest of USA every day for many of them in normal times. Use our roads even though no US resident would ever buy gas in Canada (to help pay for roads) at 60c a litre more than the PR price. We used to be able to take our garbage to the transfer station there and with my wife any myself being major “reducers” and “recyclers” the one big bag of garbage from the summer was about $10. Then they decided we all had to have regular garbage pick up. Other parts of the county can select as little as one small can pick up once a month but... they made PR go with a minimum of every second week and no special Small Can rate. Thus we now pay $210 US (instead of $10) for garbage pick up that we hardly use and certainly didn’t use it once this past year. (Can you tell I’m annoyed?) Then bring on the Trump government treating Canada like a 3rd world country and (during NAFTA re-negotiations) they (he) couldn’t stop telling the world how bad Canada treated the USA. Anyway, I am so put off by that country right now (mainly Trump, Trump Government and Trump supporters) that I don't really care when we get back though at least at our cabin we just have to deal with US border guards to get in and then we are on or own. I figured the border wouldn’t likely be reopened by Canada until September (US would have re-opened it last summer) but I am starting to think maybe by July now? No idea, we will see what happens.
AE_Collector
