A sign points the way to the Canadian border crossing near the Rouses Point United States Border Inspection Station. (File photo — Ben Rowe, Press-Republican)

PLATTSBURGH — In the face of yet another expected extension of restrictions on nonessential travel across the U.S.-Canada border, North Country Chamber of Commerce President Garry Douglas again called for a greater sense of urgency from both governments to come up with a plan for what reopening could look like.

“The U.S.-Canada relationship is unique in the world but is based upon people-to-people connectivity, not government-to-government,” he said in a statement Monday.

“Enormous and long-lasting damage is being done and this all deserves stronger attention and commitment, so we don’t just drift in place for months to come without a sense of progress and hope.”

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Circumstances in Canada

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Since March 21, 2020, the border crossing limitations — which left alone commercial traffic and those who cross for essential work — have been extended by both governments each month by 30-day increments as part of efforts to contain COVID-19 infections.

The chamber as well as local elected officials have pushed for a metrics-based plan for reopening, similar to the phased approach utilized by New York State, as well as certain interim measures, such as allowing family members to reunite.

Given the current circumstances in Canada, Douglas said, there is no reason to expect significant change in the near future. He pointed to continued spikes in Ontario and Quebec as well as curfews and other restrictions, including Monday’s closure of the provinces’ shared border to all but essential travel.

Additionally, Douglas continued, the Canadian vaccination process is months behind that of the U.S.

“It seems increasingly likely we will not see major changes for summer, though we are still calling for some possible modest adjustments to accommodate near-border property and boat owners, some additional allowance for business-related travel and more support for family connections, limited for now to the vaccinated if they wish,” Douglas said.

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Hard to quantify

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Douglas said the economic impact of the effective closure is hard to quantify since it is so different sector by sector.

“While Canadian visitors in a good year spend in excess of $350 million just in Clinton County, the sales tax receipts show a large part of that missing spending has so far been supplanted by localized spending and heightened spending in such areas as home improvements,” he explained.

“Still, some businesses more specifically dependent on Canadians, such as our marinas, continue to be hit hard. This is one reason why we continue to call for interim adjustments such as near-border access to property and boats.”

He also noted that an unseen economic impact is the general freeze on new cross-border business and investment. That stems from the inability of business representatives to cross for site visits and is delaying decisions on new locations, expansions and securing new suppliers.

“We can’t quantify the value of what isn’t happening in cross-border commerce and investment that would otherwise have happened, but it is substantial and growing. The upside is that this pent-up demand is likely to lead to a very strong year once business travel is possible again.”

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Advocacy continues

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In the meantime, advocacy for more dialogue between the U.S. and Canada as well as discussion on the impacts of the effective closure continue.

On April 28, the North Country Chamber and the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Quebec are set to co-host a webinar featuring former Quebec Premier Jean Charest and U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, who co-chairs the House Northern Border Caucus.

“I continue to work closely with our Canadian counterparts, the North Country Chamber of Commerce, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Border Patrol, and North Country small businesses and local officials to advocate for safely reopening the U.S.-Canada border for nonessential travel,” Stefanik said Tuesday.

In January, Stefanik led a letter to President Joe Biden outlining recommendations such as a bilateral plan for restoring travel, allowing families to safely reunite and prioritization of vaccines and testing for CBP personnel. She said she will keep pushing on those proposals.

Charest sits on the Wilson Task Force on Public Health and the U.S.-Canadian Border, a group that was assembled to study opening up the border and aimed to put forth recommendations in March. Those have not yet been finalized or released.

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Accessible border

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U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., acknowledged the critical economic partnership between New York and Canada’s border communities.

“While we’re eager to rebuild a thriving economy, we must ensure that reopening our borders does not put more lives at risk. I will continue working with my colleagues and the (Biden) administration to prioritize safely reopening our border.”

State Assemblyman D. Billy Jones, D-Chateaugay Lake, who co-chairs the Council of State Government’s Eastern Regional Conference’s Canada-U.S. Relations Committee, urged action toward a safe opening.

“From fostering international trade and creating good-paying jobs to helping families stay connected, an accessible border is critical for North Country families. I’ll keep working to review current border restrictions and help ensure we’re prepared to safely reopen this critical crossing as soon as possible.”

State Sen. Dan Stec, R-Queensbury, noted growing urgency to reopen the shared boundary.

“Recognizing the importance of doing so for economic and social reasons, I share the frustration that at this point we are not seeing some encouraging steps forward.”