With the potential closure of Point Roberts’ lone grocery store now just days away, Washington State governor Jay Inslee has expressed his frustration in the lack of progress at the federal level in getting the Boundary Bay Border Crossing re-opened.
The border has been closed to non-essential travel for more than 15 months and International Market Place owner Ali Hayton says time is running out for her store that was built and staffed to handle a steady flow of Canadian customers, especially in the summer, the months when many are spending time at their vacation homes. Having lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, she says the store could close for good on July 15.
The store and the tiny peninsula community’s plight, had the attention of Inslee during his regular state address on the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I will be talking to that community about the nutritional needs and logistical needs in the next few days. How to make sure there isn’t real logistical problems that can’t be met for the people of Point Roberts,” he said. I’m disappointed that the federal governments have not been able to agree to re-open this border. I’ve been grievously disappointed. I’ve expressed that position in a number of ways and as forcibly as I can.
“The people of Point Roberts should be recognized. I have been worried about them and doing everything I possibly can to solve their problem for months now.”
Inslee also wanted to make it clear the border re-opening is completely out of his hands, as well as B.C. Premier John Horgan.
Inslee says he will just continue to urge the executive branch and congress to re-open the border as soon as possible.
“The premier of British Columbia cannot solve this problem and I cannot solve this problem. We are going to continue to be as aggressive as we can to urge this border to get open. It’s obviously most acute for Point Roberts. With these numbers of vaccinated people, I just can’t see no reason why we can’t, at least for vaccinated people, get this border open. It’s very disappointing to me,” Inslee said.
Inslee’s frustration was echoed last week by Washington State Congresswoman Suzan DelBene who sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken calling on the Biden administration to reach an agreement with the Canadian government to grant the Point Roberts community an immediate exemption to current border restrictions and reopen the border crossing.
On Monday, Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce president Brian Calder continued his passionate campaign for what he now describes as a “ghost town” by sending a letter to US President Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We have been pleading for help for months. Our community does not have the necessities of life to be left in isolation for so long,” he wrote. “There is no resident doctor here, no dentist, no pharmacy, no hospital and no department store to buy basic goods. For months, residents have been denied access to Canada for critical medical appointments with their doctors. Community volunteers, who have stepped up to provide care to isolated seniors and help maintain absentee owners’ properties, are frustrated and exhausted. Community morale is at an all-time low. We need help and we need it now!
“Ironically, the extended border closures that were implemented to provide safety to residents of both countries have destroyed Point Roberts. The Canadian government has the power to grant a relaxation of border restrictions and the right to impose specific requirements such as limiting crossings to only those who have been fully vaccinated or requiring a negative PCR test prior to entry.
“Exceptions to border restrictions were granted to other exclaves last year, and we are begging for the same consideration on humanitarian grounds. It seems clear that with 85 percent of Point Roberts’ residents fully vaccinated, our residents pose little, if any, health risk to Canada.”
