Navigating trade tricky in border city of Lloydminster, which straddles two provinces

Julia Wong · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 22, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Energy sizzles done the aerial astatine Diamond 7 Meats, a tiny nutrient processor successful Saskatchewan.

One worker ties roasts with drawstring portion different churns retired pork sausages and a 3rd wraps them successful reddish packing paper.

But determination is 1 happening that can make doing concern tricky: an invisible enactment called the provincial border.

The concern sits close connected the borderline of Lloydminster, Sask., astir 150 metres from the borderline with Alberta. It's so adjacent that president Robert Lundquist tin spot it from the beforehand doorway of the business.

But the institution cannot merchantability their products successful adjacent Alberta. 

Lundquist said his installation is not federally certified, thing that helium said would outgo him millions of dollars to marque happen, meaning nutrient cannot question crossed provincial borders.

It's a pugnacious pill to swallow erstwhile helium tin spot the road that marks the invisible enactment betwixt the 2 provinces.

"It's precise frustrating. It's precise frustrating," Lundquist said.

"We're astatine a clip successful the satellite wherever we request to beryllium capable to commercialized wrong Canada. Some of these barriers are truly …archaic."

The contented has go peculiarly pressing arsenic U.S. tariff threats proceed to formed a acheronian cloud.

"Everybody's truthful caught up successful the interest astir tariffs and merchandise moving backmost and distant to the United States… Maybe this a clip erstwhile we should recognize that we got to absorption a small spot connected what's happening wrong our Canadian borders," Lundquist said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Mary Carney promised escaped commercialized betwixt provinces and territories by Canada Day.

Berry husbandman Alice Pattison understands the complications of moving nutrient products crossed provincial borders.

The proprietor and relation of Fairview Farms, adjacent Marshall, Sask., astir 20 kilometres southeast of Lloydminster, tin merchantability her jams and jellies successful Alberta due to the fact that her room is approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

But Pattison said that, portion she had the resources to bash that, not each concern can.

"It's a batch of reddish tape. You person to…figure retired what precisely you request to bash and immoderate radical whitethorn find it a spot time-consuming and a spot confusing arsenic well," she said.

Border city

Lloydminster is Canada's lone borderline city, sitting partially successful Alberta and partially successful Saskatchewan.

For years, that has meant businesses crossing the borderline often had to woody with rules from some provinces, specified arsenic security policies and nonrecreational regulations.

It sometimes led to tricky situations, according to Blaine Stephan, the past president of the Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce.

He referenced a market store that had its main determination connected the Alberta broadside of the metropolis but had state stations connected the Saskatchewan broadside of the city.

"They would marque sandwiches astatine their main store and they were not allowed to merchantability them successful the state presumption 4 blocks over," helium said.

Stephan said the bureaucracy kept businesses from prospering.

"To cognize that you person a marketplace arsenic adjacent arsenic your neighbour and they're not capable to legally acquisition your product, it was ace frustrating … it conscionable felt crazy," helium said.

Watch | Navigating commercialized barriers successful a borderline city:

In November, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated regulations to let for the escaped travel of nutrient wrong Lloydminster metropolis limits, and Stephan said it has made a difference.

"[People] tin conscionable bash their occupation and they're capable to marque their food, bash their occupation and past merchantability their products," helium said.

And helium said the changes successful Lloydminster are proof that it is imaginable for commercialized barriers to beryllium removed.

"It does amusement that erstwhile the close radical get to the table, we tin make a communal consciousness approach," Stephan said.

"We person specified large products and we privation to get them to radical that request them."

As for Lundquist, helium sees his calls for commercialized barriers to travel down arsenic his civic duty.

"I privation to marque my concern better. I privation to turn it and marque it better. It makes my assemblage better, makes my state better," helium said.