Hours reduced at two U.S. border crossings
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/11/2019 (1596 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
Manitobans heading to the United States will have to watch the time closely and start driving a few hours earlier to get through two international border crossings in the western corner of the province.
United States Customs and Border Protection announced on Friday that the Goodlands-Carbury border crossing near Deloraine will close at 7 p.m. instead of the current 10 p.m., while the Lyleton-Antler border station near Pierson will shut down at 5 p.m. instead of 10 p.m. The changes take effect on Nov. 24.
Another border crossing that was initially targeted for early closure — the Windygates-Maida crossing near Morden — will not see its hours change.
Paul Artz, coach of the Deloraine-based Antler River Stars pee wee girl’s hockey team, said the changes will force the family of one of his players to drive an extra half hour or more after practices and games. The player and her family live in North Dakota.
“I feel bad for this family,” Artz said.
“They’ll be able to get here in time for practice, because the Canadian border will be open until 10, but they just can’t get home because the border closes at seven. I don’t know what they’ll do.”
Artz said there will be ramifications for many area residents and businesses on both sides of the border — especially if the Canadian side of the border follows suit.
“There is a ski hill about half an hour south and our school goes there every week,” he said. “But if the Canadian side closed at seven it would put an end to that. They don’t even get to the hill until 4:30.”
“We are obviously disappointed,” Deloraine-Winchester municipality Reeve Gord Weidenhamer said. “We have sport teams in winter, ski resorts in the Turtle Mountains, a unique recreational area over in Carbury. This will add time to travel. Thankfully, I’ve been assured the Canadian side is not closing.”
Weidenhamer said the next border crossing is a 30- to 40-minute drive east to the 24-hour port of entry at Boisevain, making it more inconvenient for both Canadians and Americans wanting to drive across.
“Since 9/11 things have really changed,” he said. “I guess people will have to take the day off or be there earlier than usual.”
Adele Fasano, CBP’s director of field operations in Seattle, said in a statement that they listened to residents and business owners at town halls on the North Dakota side of the border before making the final decisions.
“”The new hours are based upon current and historical vehicle crossing data,” Fasano said.
“This adjustment of hours will allow staff to be relocated to nearby ports of entry that have a need for additional staffing during busy times with higher traffic volumes. We are committed to work with the local communities on extending hours during specific events.”
North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum said in a statement the cut in hours will negatively impact both his state and Manitoba.
“We’re grateful that CBP will maintain the hours at Maida, a vital port of entry for residents of Cavalier County and the surrounding area that provides convenient access for commerce, tourism and maintaining ties with our northern neighbours,” Burgum said.
“However, we are still concerned that reducing hours at the Antler and Carbury crossings will negatively impact the lives and livelihoods of North Dakotans and Manitobans alike and we urge the federal government to do everything possible to mitigate and closely monitor those impacts.”
Last week, Burgum released the letter he sent Fasano, which included statistics showing that all three of the border crossings had seen upticks in traffic between 2017 to 2018 — as high as 66.74 per cent for trucks at Lyleton-Antler, 29.85 per cent for trucks at Goodlands-Carbury, and 10.03 per cent in cars at Goodlands-Carbury.
Jacquie Callin, a spokeswoman for the Canada Border Services Agency, said there are no plans to change the hours of operation at the Canadian border crossings where the United States has rolled back hours.
“The closure of the U.S. CBP port gates at an earlier time does not impede access to the CBSA ports of entry,” Callin said, adding the CBSA will not comment on the decision on the American side.
kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
Kevin Rollason
Reporter
Kevin Rollason is one of the more versatile reporters at the Winnipeg Free Press. Whether it is covering city hall, the law courts, or general reporting, Rollason can be counted on to not only answer the 5 Ws — Who, What, When, Where and Why — but to do it in an interesting and accessible way for readers.