Point Roberts fire chief seeks solution to border crossing closure
Posted August 14, 2020 2:45 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
POINT ROBERTS (NEWS 1130) — The Point Roberts fire chief hopes lawmakers on both sides of the border will soon solve a long-running problem made worse by COVID-19 and the border closure.
Christopher Carleton said he’s not surprised the ban on non-essential travel across the Canada-U.S. land border has been extended until Sept. 21, but his community has yet to record a single case of the coronavirus.
“I don’t want to believe this is where we’re headed as humanity. We’re judging people based off of the licence plates that we see,” Carleton added.
“We need to take care of one another and I’m hoping our elected leaders are able to come up with a solution that will finally solve this issue.”
Point Roberts residents are seeking a special exemption to cross into Canada, to stock up on supplies and visit family, then return back through the Peace Arch border crossing into Washington State.
RELATED: Point Roberts border decision in hands of federal government: B.C. premier
Carleton said he has records dating back to the 1970s about efforts making it easier for people heading to or from Point Roberts to cross through the Peace Arch border crossing.
Earlier this week, Premier John Horgan confirmed he’s talked about Point Roberts with the federal government, but no decision has been made yet.
“With respect to point Roberts, this is a very sticky issue and one that I’ve discussed with the federal government, and I’ll leave it in their hands to manage,” he said
“The borders are not our responsibility, although British Columbians don’t like to hear people pointing in different directions when it comes to jurisdiction. We’re all in this together.”
