U.S. businesses dependent on Canadian travellers welcome border reopening news

Photo: The Canadian Press

Businesses on the U.S. side of the border are welcoming news that Canadians could soon be travelling south after the Biden administration said it would reopen land crossings in November.

Betsy Smith, who runs a package receiving service in Ogdensburg, N.Y., says it'll mean everything for the border to reopen after nearly 20 months.

She says she's had to cut her staff by more than half because of the sharp drop in demand caused by the closed border, while two sporting goods stores that she runs have also been hit hard.

Cody McCormick, who manages two Duty Free Americas shops in Calais, Maine, said sales are at about a quarter of where they are normally and that the whole town is hurting.

He said that while the peak tourism season is well past, he still expects to see a big jump in travellers once the border reopens to fully vaccinated Canadians sometime next month.

U.S. officials have not yet given a specific date for the reopening of land crossings to Canadians, while fully vaccinated U.S. citizens have been allowed into Canada since August.