'Full-blown crisis': Travel from Saskatchewan to U.S. has plummeted after Donald Trump's election

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: May 26, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

The fig of travellers heading southbound of the borderline from Saskatchewan has dropped importantly since the predetermination of President Donald Trump, according to information from U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The astir caller disposable information is from April. It shows that conscionable implicit 27,000 travellers entered the United States that period astatine the 12 ports of introduction that borderline Saskatchewan.

In April 2024, those 12 ports of introduction recorded 34,800 travellers. That's a year-over-year driblet of 7,700 people, oregon 22 per cent.

The diminution is portion of a inclination that tin beryllium recovered crossed the information collected by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) astatine Saskatchewan borderline crossings.

When comparing numbers reported successful April 2024 and April 2025, there's been a driblet successful the fig of rider vehicles (23 per cent) and trucks (20 per cent).

In fact, the CBP information shows that each period since Trump was sworn into bureau successful February has seen less travellers than the aforesaid period successful 2024.

The diminution is already having a material effect connected Canadian businesses.

The enforcement manager of the Frontier Duty Free Association, which represents 32 work escaped stores crossed the onshore border, said the shops are successful a "full-blown crisis." One of those stores is located astatine the North Portal-Portal borderline crossing successful Saskatchewan.

Barbara Barrett said that connected average, income astatine the stores nationwide person dropped by astir 40 oregon 50 per cent.

"In the much distant areas successful the eastbound and the west, we're seeing up to 80 per cent down. So it is a melodramatic alteration and we are feeling the brunt of the elbows up [movement]. I'd accidental that we're taking it connected the chin," Barrett said.

WATCH | Sask. question to United States drops, threatening borderline businesses: 

Barrett said the driblet successful postulation came as Trump ratcheted up governmental tensions with Canada by making comments astir the state becoming the 51st state.

The president's determination to denote and then retreat from a bid of tariffs connected Canadian goods being imported into the United States hasn't helped.

Barrett admitted that the stores struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic, erstwhile question crossed the U.S. borderline was shuttered. The deficiency of question present is similar being kicked erstwhile they're already down, she said.

The compounding issues could unit pugnacious decisions for galore of the duty-free store owners, with astir a 3rd of the stores facing closure.

"We're often the pillars of precise tiny communities crossed Canada. So a batch of the employees person been moving successful these stores for 20 to 30 years, and determination aren't a batch of different employment opportunities successful these precise distant areas," Barrett said.

South of the border

The diminution successful traffic is besides astatine likelihood with a inclination that saw the fig of crossings from Saskatchewan to the states of North Dakota and Montana increase year-over-year successful 2022, 2023 and 2024.

Stephanie Schoenrock, the enforcement manager of Visit Minot, said businesses successful the North Dakota metropolis are reporting a driblet successful the fig of Canadian visitors compared to past year.

While it whitethorn not yet beryllium highest tourism season, Schoenrock said Minot thrives connected tourists heading southbound from Saskatchewan.

"This is the happening that I truly privation to stress, astir apt much than anything, is the businesses of Minot privation Canadians," she said.

Schoenrock said they proceed to show the concern and are encouraging their neighbours from the northbound to question to Minot.

Opposite inclination recorded successful Sask.

In opposition to the information provided by CBP, Tourism Saskatchewan told CBC News that the state has seen an "increase successful U.S. borderline crossings into the state betwixt January and March this twelvemonth arsenic compared to 2024."

April saw a flimsy dip, but the tourism bureau said the stableness successful question to the state is the effect of beardown hunting and sportfishing opportunities.

"In conversations with the industry, outfitters person indicated that bookings person been dependable oregon increasing successful 2025 compared to 2024, with comparatively fewer cancellations. Based connected this information, Tourism Saskatchewan expects comparatively stable, if not growing, visitant expenditures from the U.S. marketplace successful 2025," Tourism Saskatchewan said successful a statement.

Barrett said the Frontier Duty Free Association is calling for "pandemic-level" assistance, specified arsenic wage oregon rent supports, to debar closure of work escaped stores.

"Once we suffer them, we're not getting them back," Barrett said. 

Schoenrock prefers to instrumentality a agelong presumption of the shrinking question numbers.

She pointed to the historically adjacent narration betwixt Canada and the United States. 

"This narration has spanned decades and truthful we don't spot this arsenic planetary tourists, right? We spot it arsenic our friends that we spot often," Schoenrock said.