Alaskan truck toll could be 'last nail in the coffin' of Fort Nelson, B.C., mayor warns

The mayor of B.C's northernmost municipality is informing that tolls connected commercialized trucks traveling done the state to Alaska could be "the past nail successful the coffin" of an already-struggling section economy.

The quality to enforce the fees is portion of sweeping caller legislation introduced past week by the B.C. government in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs and speech of annexing Canada to marque it the 51st state.

Premier David Eby says helium doesn't person contiguous plans to enactment tolls into place, but wants the enactment should determination beryllium a request to respond rapidly to threats from the United States, should the request arise.

But adjacent the anticipation worries Rob Fraser, politician of the Northern Rockies Regional Municipality — which includes Fort Nelson.

"Every azygous overseas dollar that comes successful present is important to us," Fraser said. "Every level tire, each sandwich, each cupful of coffee."

"Any reductions [in traffic] would interaction america significantly." 

Highway built connected American and Canadian co-operation

Fort Nelson is B.C.'s third-oldest non-Indigenous settlement and was erstwhile powered by forestry, and later, petroleum production. But declines successful some industries person taken their toll and tourism is present viewed by galore arsenic a last lifeline.

It's located astatine Mile 300 (Kilometre 483) connected the Alaska Highway, a question way with its root successful Dawson Creek, B.C., that stretches much than 2,000 kilometres through Whitehorse and connected to the Delta Junction, southeast of Fairbanks, Alaska.

The highway's precise beingness is simply a awesome of the beardown ties betwixt Canada and the United States: built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers during the Second World War and past turned implicit to the Canadian government, it's a fashionable tourer way among RVers and roadworthy trippers — a "bucket database item," Fraser says, for galore Americans.

Flags from Canada and the United States alert side-by-side at stops each on the way, welcoming visitors to places similar the Triple G Hideaway RV Park and Restaurant, which was conscionable purchased by Bryan and Janis Stanley who moved to Fort Nelson from Saskatchewan to run the campground.

Though snowfall is inactive heavy connected the ground, connected March 14 they welcomed their archetypal visitors: a household from Wasilla, Alaska who stopped successful for the nighttime connected their mode location from a travel to Utah's Salt Lake City.

"Americans tourists are a immense portion of keeping this spot going," said Bryan Stanley.

That sentiment was echoed by Murray Abs who runs the section Super 8 Motel and sits connected the committee for the enclosure of commerce.

He says it's communal to look retired into his parking batch and spot aggregate American licence plates connected vehicles passing through — thing that could change should relations betwixt Canada and the United States further deteriorate.

"It's a important percent traveling to Alaska and from Alaska," helium said, including commercialized traffic, tourists and U.S. subject members connected their mode to a deployment further north.

The portion has already taken immoderate large blows: COVID-19 travel restrictions successful 2020 led to an estimated 80 per cent decline in visitors. Wildfires that forced community-wide evacuations last twelvemonth besides hurt.

Combined with downturns successful assets industries, the results are noticeable: Fort Nelson's authoritative colonisation dipped to astir 2,600 successful the 2021 census, a driblet of astir 25 per cent since 2011, with bare homes near behind. Even Fraser has been forced to relocate to Saskatchewan part-time for work.

That's wherefore he's truthful disquieted astir the province's Bill 7, the Economic Stabilization (Tariff Response) Act, which includes connection that would let the state to enforce fees connected overseas question done B.C.

WATCH | Questions astir Bill 7: 

"Commercial trucks provide a basal for work companies successful our community. If they're not fixing level tires and serving coffees and selling sandwiches successful the wintertime time, we perchance suffer those businesses... and they're not determination for the bulk of the the postulation that goes done successful the summer, each the tourists."

"So the premier is capable to speech tough, but unfortunately, it's astatine our expense."

'We similar Americans. They've conscionable got a lousy president'

Fraser said helium sent a missive to the authorities outlining his concerns 2 weeks ago, but hasn't heard back.

When asked astir the imaginable fallout from tolls astatine a quality lawsuit past week, Eby reiterated helium would lone enactment them successful spot should the concern telephone for it, outlining what helium viewed arsenic an existential menace posed by U.S. President Donald Trump.

"We person to beryllium honorable with ourselves," helium said. "Trump is threatening to usage economical unit to annex our state arsenic the 51st state. He's threatening to travel aft our water. He's threatening to redraw our borders."

The past and narration betwixt B.C. and Alaska, helium said, was a agelong 1 and helium called connected Alaskans to nonstop the connection straight to Trump that a commercialized warfare is "not worthy it for anybody." 

"We don't privation to usage this tool," helium said of the tolls. "We similar Alaskans, we deliberation they're great. We similar Americans, we deliberation they're great. They've conscionable got a lousy president."

WATCH | Eby mulls imposing tolls connected Alaska-bound trucks: 

The implementation of a toll strategy has not been made clear. Bill 7 is wide and fails to specify details, which has led to interest from its critics that non-commercial question could besides beryllium a target, successful imaginable usurpation of the international pact governing the Alaska Highway.

The papers states that Canada cannot use immoderate charges to U.S. travelers that aren't besides successful spot for Canadian ones, though Eby has said if Trump doesn't respect planetary treaties, determination is little crushed for B.C. to adhere to those rules erstwhile trying to support itself.

Also not wide is whether specified tolls would person overmuch interaction connected Alaska itself. The bulk of goods shipped into the authorities get via boat, with little than 5 per cent coming by road.

According to B.C.'s Ministry of Transportation, astir 10,000 trucks question done the state to Alaska each year, a fig it admits is "not large," with postulation divided betwixt the northwest Stewart-Cassiar way and the much established Alaska Highway.

But Fraser warned that successful area already truthful economically depressed, adjacent a tiny diminution would marque a large difference.

LISTEN | Fraser expresses his fears astir motortruck tolls: 

He besides disquieted that if a toll was enactment successful spot adjacent temporarily, transport companies would power to oversea and aerial transportation methods and not power backmost again erstwhile they were lifted.

"Once the proviso concatenation is broken... we whitethorn ne'er get it back," helium said, adding helium does recognize B.C. needs to basal up against commercialized enactment from the United States but helium hopes it's not astatine the disbursal of Fort Nelson's quality to survive.

"We privation to beryllium portion of squad Canada," helium said. "But we don't judge that immoderate retaliatory measurement should interaction 1 much assemblage than everybody else."