Southbound border crossings in B.C.'s Lower Mainland see sharp drop in 2025

Akshay Kulkarni · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 01, 2025 9:56 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

As U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs connected Canadian goods took clasp astatine the commencement of this year, the fig of vehicles with B.C. licence plates heading southbound via borderline crossings dropped sharply, information shows.

Data from the Whatcom Council of Governments — a U.S. determination authorities bureau that is centred on the northwest Washington authorities borderline — shows a astir 43 per cent driblet successful vehicles with B.C. licence plates heading southbound via Lower Mainland borderline crossings this March compared to March 2024.

The fig of borderline crossings had besides begun to driblet successful February, but they took a crisp downward turn after Trump imposed tariffs successful the archetypal week of March, amid a question of anti-U.S. sentiment and a propulsion to enactment northbound of the border.

The politician of Blaine, Wash., situated near the Canada-U.S. border, is pleading with Canadians to see returning, adjacent arsenic the curate starring B.C.'s tariff effect acknowledged determination volition proceed to beryllium symptom connected some sides of the borderline owed to the commercialized war.

"I recognize wherefore Canadians privation to boycott America and not enactment America," said Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward past week. "I recognize that; however, by boycotting bluish states [that elected Democrats] similar Washington, what you're really doing is making Trump happier.

"He does not similar bluish states. He is simply a president lone for those who enactment him, not for the full country. And truthful by causing Blaine to suffer, you're really making his day."

WATCH | Blaine politician pleads with Canadians to see returning: 

Steward says British Columbians and Blaine residents person overmuch successful common, and she wanted to sphere the narration arsenic overmuch arsenic possible.

"There is simply a determination successful the region assembly to effort and enactment distant a missive oregon solution stating that we enactment Canadians coming. We privation you to come. We privation to marque you consciousness welcome," she told Stephen Quinn, big of CBC's The Early Edition last week. "This does not correspond us."

Other determination co-operation organizations on the West Coast person travel retired against the commercialized war.

Legislators representing the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, a non-profit that is funded by U.S. states and Canadian provinces from Alaska to Montana, precocious signed a solution that committed to advancing bilateral co-operation amid the tariff war.

The solution "urges the governments of the United States and Canada to proceed to prioritize and fortify their bilateral narration done unfastened dialogue" and was signed by MLAs from 5 Canadian provinces, arsenic good arsenic lawmakers from 5 U.S. states.

However, determination whitethorn beryllium much short-term symptom yet for Canadians, arsenic Trump mulls a sweeping acceptable of planetary tariffs, starting April 2, successful what he is calling "Liberation Day."

Ravi Kahlon, the B.C. curate who is starring the province's effect to the commercialized war, acknowledged that residents volition aftermath up connected Wednesday feeling tense for their jobs and families connected some sides of the border.

"President Trump is calling it the time of liberation. In fact, it's the time of isolation due to the fact that the U.S. is present closing borders to the world, and that is going to enactment a situation connected america successful the abbreviated term," Kahlon told reporters connected Tuesday. "But we volition travel retired of it strong."

Kahlon added that the state had beardown commercialized partners successful Europe, arsenic good arsenic beardown commercialized partners successful the Asia-Pacific portion that were reaching retired proactively arsenic the state moves to diversify its exports.

"The attack that we're seeing from provinces, the effect we're seeing from radical crossed Canada, it fills maine with large pride."