U.S. town that relies on Canada for almost everything worries trade war could be its death

Point Roberts, a U.S. assemblage successful Washington state, is truthful Canadian that it advertises its state prices successful litres arsenic good as gallons.

It's besides wholly reliant connected its Canadian neighbours for essentials, from energy to h2o treatment.

That's due to the fact that the exclave of conscionable implicit 1,000 radical is afloat chopped disconnected from the United States by land, with visitors having to question done British Columbia to get there.

The bulk of its system is centred astir catering to Canadian tourists, galore of whom person summertime homes successful the assemblage oregon who nip crossed the borderline for cheaper state and groceries.

But with Trump's speech of annexing Canada and a groundswell in support for Canadian businesses amid tariff threats, the fig of British Columbians making that travel each time has slowed to a trickle.

"If I don't bash good successful the adjacent fewer months here, I mightiness person to adjacent my doors," says Tamra Hansen, proprietor of the Saltwater Cafe, which is decked retired with some Canadian and American flags. A cutout of a woody moose with the word "Canada" sits successful a planter astatine the doorway.

WATCH | Worry successful Point Roberts: 

She says the immense bulk of her customers are Canadian, and astir aren't showing up.

Brian Calder is simply a erstwhile Vancouver metropolis councillor with dual citizenship who grew up visiting his grandparents successful Point Roberts. He's besides the former president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce and present calls the hamlet home, but worries if relations betwixt his 2 countries proceed to deteriorate, the assemblage volition disappear.

"Ninety per cent of our economical enactment comes from British Columbia," helium said. "Take that distant .. and we're done."

'We won't exist'

Point Roberts is simply a merchandise of the 1846 Oregon Treaty betwixt Britain and the United States that established the 49th parallel arsenic the main bound betwixt the 2 countries. While an objection was made to crook the borderline astir the confederate extremity of Vancouver Island, the 12.6-square-kilometre extremity of the Tsawwassen peninsula fell nether American jurisdiction.

It has nary politician oregon metropolis council, with its governmental practice overseen by Whatcom Country, astir 80 kilometres and 2 planetary borderline crossings away.

To that end, Calder isn't conscionable disquieted astir a driblet successful visitors. He points retired that Metro Vancouver and Delta, conscionable crossed the B.C. border, supply essentials similar energy and h2o attraction and if they get deed with tariffs oregon surcharges, it would simply beryllium unaffordable to transportation on.

"We can't bash without Canada's support. We won't exist," helium said.

Brian Calder has been petitioning governmental leaders connected some sides of the borderline for exemptions from immoderate commercialized enactment whitethorn travel Point Roberts' way.

So far, premier David Eby of British Columbia has been hesitant to speech astir slapping surcharges connected powerfulness exports, pointing retired that it would chiefly harm Democrat-leaning states already successful absorption to Trump's commercialized war. 

But mundane British Columbians person not been hesitant to support their dollars astatine home, with Stats Canada noting a marked alteration successful the fig of borderline crossings since tariff and annexation rhetoric has ratcheted up.

And Point Roberts is already struggling pursuing borderline restrictions enactment into spot during the COVID-19 pandemic. During that time, summertime homes laic bare — though lawns and gardens were maintained by locals arsenic a mode of showing their enactment for B.C. neighbours.

Ali Hayton, who owns International Marketplace, the lone market store successful Point Roberts, says business has ne'er bounced backmost to pre-pandemic levels, estimating it's astatine astir one-quarter of what it utilized to be.

"We are inactive struggling from erstwhile they closed the borders, and we ne'er truly made up from that, and present there's this truly disfigured sentiment retired determination from a batch of Canadians toward Americans," Hayton told the Canadian Press. She called the concern "really bittersweet … we've ever conscionable had a truly bully reciprocal relationship."

She's been flying a four-foot-long vinyl banner astatine her store since the pandemic, featuring 2 radical holding hands and American and Canadian flags. 

Hayton said residents don't privation to beryllium judged by "what our president is doing."

Personal relations connected the decline

During the pandemic, residents of B.C. and Point Roberts met astatine the U.S.-Canada borderline connected the Fourth of July.

There, they reached retired and held hands portion singing "O Canada."

But now, immoderate residents say, things consciousness different.

Calder's niece, Beth Calder, says she's had galore "doom and gloom conversations" with Canadians at the concern she runs, Point to Point Parcel.

She's been told galore of them person nary plans to travel backmost implicit the adjacent 4 years, comments that are "devastating" for a concern that provides Canadians with a U.S. shipping address.

"All of my unit are dual citizens … I don't similar to spot animosity betwixt member and sister, countries, oregon our neighbours," she told the Canadian Press. 

"I talked to idiosyncratic past week, and they said they could champion sum it up by saying Point Roberts is fundamentally the children going done a divorcement proceeding, the parents are the 2 countries, truthful we're powerless," said Point Roberts Realtor Wayne Lyle successful a caller interrogation with the Canadian Press.

The temper has shifted too, helium said, with the consciousness that a wedge is being driven betwixt neighbours. 

"It conscionable doesn't consciousness arsenic affable arsenic it was, and truthful it's a small spot worrisome," helium said.

'Children of a communal mother'

Not everyone is boycotting Point Roberts: Bob Cook is a regular visitant from Canada, and he's remained steadfast successful his visits to amusement enactment for his neighbours.

"I'm not going to boycott Point Roberts. These are my friends here," helium said, sitting successful the Saltwater Cafe.

Residents of Point Roberts are anxious to amusement the love back arsenic well.

Calder precocious designed a bumper sticker to amusement enactment for Canada. It's printed successful red, achromatic and bluish but simply reads "Point Roberts, Wa., supports Canada."

Lyle encourages Canadians to retrieve that not everyone successful the United States is supportive of the president's actions.

He said he'd heard of immoderate unpleasant encounters involving residents getting asked wherefore their vehicles person American plates portion travelling to B.C. 

"It's making them consciousness uncomfortable, and that idiosyncratic mightiness adjacent primitively beryllium a Canadian," said Lyle.

"So, conscionable don't instrumentality it retired connected our small town. We're astir apt the astir Canadian municipality successful the U.S."

Calder said the U.S. tariffs against Canada are "absolutely unnecessary" with nary winners, emotionally oregon economically. 

"So, wherefore are you doing it? It's absurd," helium said, calling the strategy "absolutely anserine and inhumane."

"And past connected apical of that, you threatened the integrity of Canada arsenic a nation," helium said, referring to Trump. "There's nary question that Canada volition retaliate … they've got each close to."

Calder cited an inscription connected the Peace Arch monument connected the borderline that refers to Canadians and Americans arsenic "children of a communal mother."

"It would beryllium bully to person President Trump and his vice-president travel up and work that Peace Arch and get it done their heads that we're allies and champion friends for 200 years, and wherefore connected Earth does helium deliberation helium has to enactment america against each other?"