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Trump-Canada rift hurts U.S. borderline municipality
Point Roberts, Washington — There whitethorn beryllium nary municipality successful the U.S. arsenic Canadian arsenic Point Roberts, Washington.
"I would accidental 90% of our concern is driven by the Canadians," said Tamara Hansen, who runs the Saltwater Café.
On this peculiar April day, the Saltwater was wholly bare astatine the tallness of luncheon hour.
"This is not normal, to not person anybody sitting successful the restaurant," Hansen said.
Nothing is normal these days successful Point Roberts, which is located connected the southernmost extremity of the Tsawwassen peninsula, astir 25 miles southbound of Vancouver, British Columbia. In 1 of the lone American towns you person to spell done Canada to reach, residents and concern owners are caught successful the mediate of governmental and economical battles that person near them feeling wholly chopped off.
"I can't adjacent retrieve a clip erstwhile the shelves ever looked similar this, ever, not adjacent during COVID," said Beth Calder of the bare shelves successful her shipping transportation service, which she opened much than 2 decades ago. She is simply a fifth-generation nonmigratory of Point Roberts.
Calder says Canadian customers are "huge" to businesses successful Point Roberts.
"If it wasn't for Canadians, Point Roberts would beryllium virtually a occidental shade town," Calder said.
Many of the town's astir 1,200 residents are dual citizens. Border crossings from Canada into Point Roberts are down substantially, and section residents mention the caller rhetoric from President Trump arsenic a large crushed why. That rhetoric includes the president's statements astir his tendency to spot Canada go the 51st U.S. state, and his administration's tariffs connected Canadian goods not covered by the U.S.-Mexico-Canada commercialized agreement.
Calder says it was Mr. Trump's "references to Canada successful general" that she believes contributed to the driblet successful Canadian visitors.
"Then it turned into radical saying, 'Well, you cognize what, we're not coming backmost for 4 years.' And that was a large oculus opener," Calder said.
When her concern plummeted 75% successful March, Calder decided to permanently adjacent her doors. Despite the precipitous diminution successful Hansen's business, she's keeping the Saltwater Café unfastened for now.
"How are we going to get done arsenic a community?" Hansen asks.
Hansen believes that adjacent if the president reverses the tariffs connected Canada, restoring spot could beryllium difficult.
"I deliberation it's going to instrumentality a while, you know? The spot is gone."
Jonathan Vigliotti is simply a CBS News analogous based successful Los Angeles. Vigliotti's reporting has taken him to much than 3 twelve countries and territories crossed six continents.
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