Campobello Island residents given tariff exemption for cross border shopping

Allyson McCormack · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 09, 2025 12:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Residents of New Brunswick's tiny Campobello Island held hostage by the tariff war betwixt Canada and the U.S. tin yet instrumentality to their cross-border buying ways.

The national Department of Finance has announced a peculiar exemption connected U.S. user and household products Campobello Island bring successful from neighbouring Maine, "in designation of the island's unsocial situation."

Campobello sits successful the Bay of Fundy, connected to the mainland lone by a span to Lubec, Maine, wherever residents get astir of the groceries, state and supplies that aren't disposable connected the island.  

For much than a month, those residents person been paying Ottawa's 25 per cent tariffs connected those purchases erstwhile they instrumentality home. 

It was Canada's mode of warring backmost against U.S. tariffs and encouraging Canadians to walk their wealth astatine home, but islanders with constricted options became collateral damage. 

"All of a abrupt it removes the full discomfort with the CBSA officers," said Campobello Island nonmigratory Zoltan Szoges, who was buying groceries successful Lubec, Maine, erstwhile CBC News told him astir the announcement from Ottawa.

"This volition beryllium the past tariffed groceries going to Campobello."

Szoges said helium had been calling authorities officials astatine each levels trying to plead the lawsuit for land residents but inactive was pleasantly amazed to perceive the exemption was granted for the colonisation of less than 1,000 people.

"I don't privation to beryllium successful a weird, awkward standoff with authorities employees due to the fact that I'm buying milk," helium said. "I person anxiety, and dealing with unclear situations with borderline officers is not amusive for me, right? And I'm definite it's besides not amusive for them to beryllium charging their neighbours money that they didn't antecedently person to pay."

WATCH | Campobello Island nonmigratory reacts to tariff exemption: 

Szoges said the tariffs weren't conscionable dividing Canadians and Americans, it was besides polarizing for land residents.

"You person the radical … who are like, 'Well, I'll conscionable wage it, and it's my work for the greater good.' And you person different families who are, you know, struggling dollar to dollar and 25 per cent adjacent connected immoderate products is capable to beryllium truly detrimental. And each of a abrupt those radical are pitted against each other."

Harvey Matthews was besides amazed to perceive the news. As Campobello mayor, helium didn't cognize the exemption was coming until helium got a telephone from a reporter. He said he's utilized to that arsenic a small-town politician and said the important happening is that the residents know, and the radical who enactment astatine customs.

He said the tariffs person been random, and he's gladsome radical tin present travel and spell "without being harassed."

"Just past week, my woman comes done and had to wage $34 successful tariffs … connected Canadian and Mexican goods." He said she paid it anyhow "just to beryllium a point," astir however flawed the tariffs were.

"I deliberation it's definite officers, they complaint it nary substance what and past you get different ones that were utilizing a small spot of discretion."

"I conjecture they each don't person to adjacent interest astir it, thankfully."

Longtime Campobello nonmigratory Ron Beckwith said crossing the borderline this past period has been nerve-wracking, and you were "never rather definite wherever you stood from travel to trip."

"People person been precise anxious astir it, you know, not knowing from 1 travel to the adjacent whether you were benignant of going to trigger a absorption oregon whether you were going to beryllium OK. Some of it depending connected the temperament of the serviceman connected duty."

It's been particularly hard for seniors, helium said, who aren't ever capable to marque the hour-long thrust done the authorities of Maine to transverse backmost into Canada astatine the Calais-St. Stephen borderline to bash their buying there. 

He said it volition besides mean "a batch to our friends and neighbours successful Lubec arsenic well."

"Those businesses were suffering arsenic a effect of this arsenic well, due to the fact that radical were slowing down their purchases successful Lubec. Certainly the hardware store, I've heard that archetypal manus …  And besides with the grocery.

"So it's going to beryllium invited quality connected some sides of the border."