DelBene visits Blaine as Canadian travel opens

Standing across the intersection of Peace Portal Drive and H Street from H Street Plaza, U.S. congresswoman Suzan DelBene could see the city’s banner welcoming Canadians as she said how important the reopening of the U.S./Canada border to vaccinated Canadians was for people and businesses in Blaine. 

DelBene, who has been a strong advocate for border towns like Blaine and Point Roberts since the border closed in March 2020, visited local businesses November 8, with Whatcom County executive Satpal Sidhu, mayor Bonnie Onyon and city manager Michael Jones to celebrate the border reopening 597 days after its closing.

Joined by staff and media, the foursome walked around town and stopped in at the Drayton Harbor Oyster Company, the Living Pantry, The Vault Wine Bar & Bistro, and Mail Boxes International to discuss with storeowners the impact the border closure has had on business. These businesses are among many impacted by the lack of Canadian visitors.

The congresswoman, county executive and mayor all told of the difficulty the closed border put on the residents of Blaine. Onyon said how important it was that the U.S. would only require proof of vaccination and not a negative Covid-19 test, which Canada still requires for those traveling north.

Living Pantry owners Seppi and Shawna Morris discussed with DelBene what it was like opening their zero-waste store during the pandemic and border closure. The Morris’ opened their downtown, corner storefront in September 2020. The Vault owners Alan and Joni Finston said how border closure stagnated the growth of the business they opened in September 2017. Joni Finston said their customer based was cut by about 50 percent.

The announcement of the border reopening may have sparked some hope in these and other local business owners that days of growth were ahead. “Welcome back Canadian neighbors!” is what the city’s banner reads. 

But with border wait time averages around five minutes, reopening day may not have garnered the instant impact the city was hoping.