Although I live in Ferndale, I still have my roots up in Canada, which means that either I, or my family and friends, cross the border quite frequently. And lately, it’s been horrible! The lines are ridiculously long, no matter what time of day! We were coming home from a wedding at 1 am a couple of weeks ago and had a 20 minutes wait! Weekends you are pretty much guaranteed a 2 hour wait south, and half the time it’s just as bad going north. Sure there are pockets of times when it’s shorter, but in general, the border has just sucked (for lack of a better term) lately!

Is it because the Canadian dollar is so strong? There are many products available in the US that can’t be bought in Canada. Also, the prices in general are better in the states. Is that what is driving all of the traffic? Or maybe it’s all the construction at the border? Tighter restrictions meaning it takes longer to process each car?

Perhaps its a combination of all of the above. I just know that I am VERY thankful for my nexus pass which allows me to use the fast lane.

So all of that long winded griping about the border comes down to this question – have you noticed more Canadians in Whatcom County lately? Have you noticed business increasing due to more Canadians being around? Have you felt the impact of the increasing value of the Canadian dollar?

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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