About 1,300 people live in Point Roberts, Washington, which is isolated from the rest of Whatcom County due to unique circumstances. www.king5.com/article/news//2...
In the 60's, I did a study on Point Roberts as a geography assignment at the University of British Columbia. As I recall, the major reason for keeping it in U.S. hands, was that it gave American fishermen access to the very lucrative (at the time) Fraser river salmon fishery. As a result, Point Roberts had several very large salmon processing plants on site. Interestingly, many of the fishermen were Icelandic immigrants
I really wonder WHY when they drew the border, someone didn't say, "Hey, this little nub of land is pretty useless because we can't get there from here. Canada, we'll trade you for another 4 sq miles somewhere else."
We have about 3 or 4 other issues like this with Canada(some were caught and fixed proactively or even after the fact or we would have tons more), the problem is the maps weren't accurate at the time, and didn't depict stuff like the paths of rivers well enough or had vital information cut off by legends, if you dont got satellites and cameras your kinda stuck with what your best guy can draw and measure
Strategically, if you give up land next to the ocean, you also give up *many* miles of ocean access and the economic and strategic zones that come with it.
@Not A Safe Space why the hell would we re-open the border? You guys have had 6 months to get your numbers under control and now that Canada's flattened our curve we should open the border to the country with the most cases in the world?? Not a chance
@Not A Safe Space not an option at all. the US is on a disaster course. just because no one has tested positive doesn't mean it's not there. next thing Pt. Roberts folks will want an exception to use our hospitals and seek treatment in Canada.
@@CanadaMatt In the collective Seattle vicinity there are over 4 million people. This year we have had nonstop protests, some riots, the infamous CHOP/CHAZ zone and as usual thousands of homeless. All of these people in close quarters. Yet, the hospitals have been practically empty since March. Not since mask mandates or quarantine.....since MARCH. Now let's talk about those masks everyone is wearing. Those surgical masks, it states very clearly on the box they come in, in ALL CAPS, that they will not provide any protection against covid-19 or any other viruses or contaminants. Furthermore, thousands of doctors and scientists worldwide are coming forward pushing to open civilization back up....fully. The reason is because this is no "highly transmissible and deadly pandemic". I would, however, be questioning what people are putting into their body with the flu shot every year, and why they are fast tracking a vaccine for covid while hospitals across the US, despite the media's propaganda, remain empty. Event 201....this was planned.
@@vmd100 The weather of Canada is really no different to northern US cities like Boston, Buffalo, NYC, Chicago, Minneapolis etc, rough winters sure, but beautiful warm summers across Canada.
If Point Roberts joined Canada, the Americans would instantly have their property value increase 5 times what it is worth now. Average house in the lower mainland of BC is $650k.
From a Canadian point of view- this is a tough thing to make a judgement on. On the one hand, as said in the report: There aren't any Covid-19 cases there, we could easily have an exception in our border rules for them. We already have an Alaskan clause about coming through out country to get to Alaska, so it would be easy enough to extend it to Point Roberts. On the other hand, there has been MASSIVE abuse of the Alaskan loophole, as Canadians have now dubbed it. We've had many people take advantage of this loophole to travel around Canada despite the law saying that all Americans must go directly to Alaska. Tons of Americans have been barred entry to Canada for life due to breaking that rule. Opening up another potential loophole like that could add a ton of bureaucratic garbage on top of this shitshow.
From an American point of view Canadians need to prioritize. You are a food dependent Nation. It's getting worse as the population increases. Globalist Silo farming is bad for the Canadian people. The majority of your fruit and vegetables are imported from California.
@@LiteDisc so you're fine with being food dependent. You don't care if your country does not control its own food supply! I think you're missing the point
@@jabreck1934 Not a 100% true, Canada exports more food than it imports. It mainly imports tropically grown foods, that would never grow in Canada. So Canada is fine for your basic staples. You were saying?
@@aryanscience sorry there, but how did you come to that decision.? I seem to remember what happened in 2001 and Canadians opened up their homes to Americans and many other Nations. As Canadians, we DO NOT our friends to the south.
Did you not watch and listen to the video Hopper? A huge amount of their incomes comes from Canadians entering the area. How is a ferry going to change that?
Exactly! Stop whining that you can't drive thru another country to get to your own country. If it was an island you couldn't do that anyway. You don't hear every American living on an island crying it up.
This is a dilemma. Open the border for the residents of Point Roberts to enter Canada for shopping or to get to Washington State mainland, when the word gets out, and it will, Americans will be flooding Point Roberts just to enter Canada. I don't think so, I really don't. However, if it's tourists they need, I propose using 'Ducks' or amphibious landing crafts, for the duration of the crisis, to bring visitor's from the US. They can carry people and vehicle's. The way things are going in BC and particularly in the US, is that a good idea to even think about doing that?
@@SPChef1981 it's a moot point now. As of 8/25/20 P.R. has a one day ferry service per week. Might be expanded. So the border remains closed. There won't be a 'Point Roberts loophole' now like the 'Alaska Loophole'. That's a cause for celebration! Washington State had 570 new cases of covid-19 8/26/20.
@@halleffect2000 it's a moot point now. As of 8/25/20 P.R. has a one day ferry service per week. Might be expanded. So the border remains closed. There won't be a 'Point Roberts loophole' now like the 'Alaska Loophole'. That's a cause for celebration! Washington State had 570 new cases of covid-19 8/26/20.
Sorry, Point Roberts. The fact about US'ers is that they'd come to Canada from allover the country via Point Roberts, if the border was open. Experience has shown that US residents exploit their privileges in Canada, unfortunately.
Looks to me like the Canadians are using Point Roberts to avoid taxes in Canada. But I know what you mean, Oregon Beaches are filled with Washington and Californian tourist, While Oregonians are discouraged from traveling. I have even seen Maryland and Alberta, British Columbia and Alaska tourist. Seems like people from both countries just go where ever they want
I'm sure if Obama were president our SOB communist POS dictator who had what, 32% of the popular vote would have done something. The few Americans who violated the drive to alaska loophole are not a problem, at least not in the big picture.
I’m in Surrey, BC, Canada, and think they need some federal injections of funding but with cases rising in BC daily now, I’m not sure opening would be good. We are getting closer and closer to hitting a thousand new infections every day. Our government is expected to ban all nonessential travel today. I understand though there aren’t medical facilities there, so would they be able to get help easily? I admit as I live minutes away from the Peace Arch border crossing, in non pandemic times I went south often. I love going to the Seattle art Museum. I’ve studied art at Whitby Island’s Pacific Northwest Art School. Sometimes I cross just to get gas or to just get a meal at Bob’s Burgers. I have packages waiting too at Pakmail Bellingham. But I’ve never visited PR and I’m resolved to visit as soon as I can be allowed to. Ferry service would be awesome if it went from there to say Seattle. I wonder if that could work in non pandemic times.
Seems like the problem is not that Americans are trapped in Point Roberts. If you could snap your fingers and magically allow Point Roberts USA citizens to enter Canada, there would still be a problem in Point Roberts. The problem is Canadians are not allowed to enter Point Roberts and spend money.
They need to install a conveyor belt at the border crossing to pass products back and forth - a little delivery system - with a little warehouse at each side for storage and pickup.
Politicians in the 1800s created this mess, politicians in 2020 should fix it. The 49th parallel border should've ended at the first contact with the ocean. That little point should've been Canadian territory all along. They didn't cut off the lower end of Vancouver Island, I don't get why they agreed to this in that treaty. I feel for the those people trapped in this political pandemic quarantine.
Open the border between Point Roberts and BC only. No entry into the US at Blaine for Point Roberts residents. At least then they can shop in metro Vancouver and Canadians can check on their properties in PR and pick up their packages, shop and eat there, etc...
Jeff Morse not meaning to be smug. Yes second wave is starting but hopefully we can keep the cases low like the first wave. I get the situation there. Its just not Canada’s problem. Washington state or US govt needs to help them. I read they have an emergency ferry service now so things are better that it was.
The whole point is we don't WANT them to "shop in metro Vancouver". There is only ONE reason for an American to set foot on Canadian soil right now...and that's to move directly from one piece of American soil to another. We don't want Americans visiting our restaurants, shopping in our malls, drinking in our bars, or sightseeing in our parks. The reason Point Roberts is struggling is because their fellow U.S. citizens keep ignoring these rules, and they end up paying the price. Don't blame Canada, blame the asshole with Montana plates stopping off for a visit to a Kelowna, BC winery when they're supposed to be transiting direct to Alaska.
@Ocean Blue Countries sell their land all the time and Point Roberts isn't a significant source of income to the U.S anyway with no significant natural resources.
@@korytoombs886 They wouldn't get deported because they own that piece of land and you can still apply for a temporary Visa. Furthermore, I think the Canadian and U.S government would take the local residents into account and would give them some sort of exclusion from being deported against their will as long as they aren't breaking any Canadian laws.
i saw another video of this where they asked some of the people if they would like to be part of canada and all said no. they fear over-development of the land and they seem to be pretty patriotic.
@@shahinmotamedi654 actually it is in the same situation as Pt Roberts the only way to get to other then crossing into Canada is by boat. In fact the children living there had to cross the border to go to school everyday.
The only thing I can think of is building bridge and a tunnel through the water like some places have to get to this land. I don’t know! Just a thought. 🤷🏽♂️
They are not freight forwarders....so, what, we get a 1hour visa to pick up parcels on the point.?.deal with the always happy CBC folks going in...it would be chaos ...and what a 2 hour window for Blaine.?....We are all in the same fix....and Canadians are not entering, or saying we are going to anywhere, like the Alaska claims, as Americans are...being found dotted across Canada.? Sorry, the USA needs to get their act together, they are no more special or entitled than any other person or nation... Call Donald..I'm sure he'll give you an honest answer.... And that "stuff" in boxes...we ordered it...and we will wait for it....no choice...better than facing the virus.
That's not so easy. There's effectively a no-mans land between the US and CDN border crossing buildings that neither Canadian nor Americans would be allowed into without having to self-isolate for 2 weeks.
dude, i had to wait nearly 3 months to get a filter SHIPPED across the border(barely 200kms from where I ordered it). imagine how long it would take if you tried in person. corona has everything slowed down to all hell.
The border is "porous." This means that the locals can simply bring in stuff from US stores wholesale and sell it to Canadians. If you do it right, the only folks that will be in legal trouble would be Canadians.
Does the USA still allow the Canadians to cross though USA waters with their ferry? They shouldn’t. Turn about is fair pay. The people on the point should go out in their boats and block their ferry.Also no one in Canada east of the point should be allowed to cross US territory to get to the ocean..
Hmm, the residents probably wouldn't like that. The Canadian taxes and laws, you know. As it was before covid, they could always run across the border and benefit from the lower Canadian dollar.
It was probably foolish to not make the point part of Canada a long time ago, but back then people probably didn't foresee that national borders would ever become as hard as they are now.
A lot of the boats in the Pt. Roberts harbor belong to Canadians. Why can’t Washington state start up a ferry? There must be agreements... the main ferry route from Tsawwassen to Vancouver cuts through American waters. The main Canadian national East-West railway line cuts through a corner of Minnesota. Campobello island must be facing similar problems? A Canadian island only accessible in winter from the US.
Jet Stream Maybe it’s not the main line? I thought it was? The East-West train route I’m talking about traces from Longworth to Baudette Minnesota. You can see it on Google Earth if you zoom in. Doesn’t connect to any other tracks. Cuts into the US, around the bottom of Lake of the Woods, and back into Canada. It made the news a while ago when there was a fishing dispute over Angle Inlet, Minnesota. The Canadians started blocking American fish guides based out of Angle Inlet, Minnesota from fishing in Canadian waters. Angle Inlet considered asking to become part of Canada. The US said no. The dispute was resolved when the US said... Canada, if you don’t let those fisherman access their traditional spots, then we will block that train track and you’ll have to find another route for your train. The status quo resumed. The US lets Canadian trains cut through the US, the Canadians let a handful of fish guides catch some of their fish.
Look, just treat it like an island .. like the Catalina's or Martha's Vineyard .. and have more frequent ferry service so the lost tourism can be replaced by Americans until the pandemic is over.. the same problem exists for many Canadian businesses relying on American tourism like hunting and fishing trips.. it's a sad situation for all of us on both sides of the border.. btw Port Roberts is great ! My buddy who lives in Vancouver has a boat there and we took it from Port Roberts to Granville island when I visited ..
We have a unique relationship with this little US plot of land. They are our neighbours. If we can help we should. If the shoe were on the other foot .....?
@@truthhurts5158 If you make an exception for people living there just to go into Canada but not the other border would be fine. This could have been a thriving economy for Point Roberts for mail-in packagers but now it is a town on the brink of economic collapse.
@@truthhurts5158 it's a small population in Point Roberts it benefits both Canadians and Point Robert Americans to have that particular border open. Seems crazy to destroy a town for a virus with a 99% survival rate. These people are practically Canadian. But don't worry the government is on your side.
The reason why places like Blaine and Point Roberts thrived pre pemdemic is that Canadians love to get their packages sent there. We avoid duties and taxes by making that 30-60 trek there to save $30+. We go down there to get cheap gas and end up making a day trip down there which helps the local economy. The only reason why it worked is because it's part of the US and not Canada. If Point Roberts does become part of Canada the town would collapse. I do hope the Feds find a way to allow Canadians to go back just to help the local economy.
If they can keep that road in the east open for these so called refugees coming into Canada , and provide 24/7 nursing for them . They can sure as hell open that border crossing for those people. I would visit there, it looks like a wonderful community.
This seems to be problem common to many border towns. Also, tourist places like Florida where their economy is tanking because the snowbirds (Canadian tourists in US).
America has so much wonderful land to live on that isn't frozen three quarters of the year. Canada has so little livable land. For Christs sake, secede the land to Canada. We need it. So bad. God only knows WE NEED IT. Half of B.C.'s western "coast line" isn't even coastal. The coast and wonderful ocean went to Alaska (USA) and we got a line in the flipping bush just short of that wonderful coast. On a map B.C. appears to be all coastal, but when you actually stop and look you see that just a (relatively) small section, about half the size of the province, is coastal. Sad.
You're not understanding. Most of the business that keeps the residents of Pt. Roberts alive comes from the Canadian side, from the towns of Tsawwassen and Ladner. (It isn't from Americans who would like a ferry from somewhere.) People go there for gas. Even with brutal US-Cdn exchange, it's still cheaper than we Canadians have to pay. The other mainstay is parcel pick up; there are a few outlets there. There are many things we can't get in Canada, so people order things and have them sent to Pt. Roberts. I'm not able to get herbal medicine I need because I can't cross the border to pick it up. This border closure isn't a good thing for anyone.
Hyder Alaska is not a point of land isolated from the rest of Alaska. It might be remote and only accessible by road from Stewart BC, but its not the same issue.
As sad as this development is, the fact there are no confirmed cases proves that the measures Canada is taking is actually working. But I truly understand the hardships this community is dealing with. I think the best alternative, given that 90% of their commerce is from Canada; is they be given the choice that, if the border opens...they must obey Canada's rules and the town be closed to Americans coming in. Once the border rules have been lifted, they can return to accepting Americans from abroad. It allows Canada to continue trying to keep its citizens safe, and as well as ensure that this town remains American.
Point Roberts, and the Northwest Angle, should both be exchanged with Canada for Campobello Island. Point Roberts, and the Northwest Angle, are both inaccessible by land to the U.S. without going through Canada. It's stupid for the U.S. to keep them. Campobello Island has one bridge connecting it to the mainland, and it connects to the U.S., not to Canada. So the Canadian residents on the island have the same problem as the Americans who live on Point Roberts, and the Northwest Angle, they have to drive through a foreign country to get to their own. The combined populations of Point Roberts, and the Northwest Angle is around 1400. Campobello Island is about 900.
@@MrWaldorfian Yes, both have ferry access to their mother countries. Americans in the rest of Washington state have virtually no impetus to get on a ferry to patronize businesses in Point Roberts. The same is true of Canadians visiting Campobello Island by ferry. It happens, but it makes up a minority of outsiders who go there. Most visitors to both places come by car, without using a ferry.
Why is it that each community feels they are the only ones suffering? As soon as you allow traffic in and out of Point Roberts their residents will be able to enter the rest fo Washington and then use their residency as "essential" to return home. To do otherwise would be infringing on the rights of US citizens. The only way to keep Canadians safe from the US mayhem is to tighten the border closure even more.
This is crazy! How did we let 14 day’s turn into this. Get rid of ALL the politicians and see how fast and how much better our lives would be. Bet if we’re not being paid this would have lasted 3 days.
Actually, the territory came into dispute again during the Pig War / Fraser River gold rush. Washington's northwest boundary was settled by the German Kaiser acting as neutral intermediary after the Civil War. Otherwise, the San Juans and surrounds would probably just be British territory.
What Points Roberts needs is to have an open border to Canada on their North side. But only Canada can do that, not our politicians. Complaining that another country needs to start making exceptions to their Covid protocols will be a hard sell. So this is my solution. Since Point Roberts doesn't have any Covid cases we cede Point Roberts to Canada until the end of 2021. Point Roberts citizens become temporary Canadians and have to follow Canadian laws. They won't be able to visit the United States until 2022 unless the borders open up.
President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau recently had their first discussion. This should have been on the agenda. What are Washington’s senators and the 2nd District Representative doing about it?
It's a tiny parcel of land that should be part of Canada clearly. Just cede it, there's only a handful of people living there, it would also make they're lives easier too with far fewer border crossings. This crisis highlights how isolated they could be if the US and Canada were to fallout. The Northwest Angle should be ceded to Canada too.
This is sad in every way...I think the Canadians and Americans should get their asses moving and help those people from both sides , they are all hurting but those scum bag politicians from both sides , I always said you could sit down with a case of beer with one Canadian and one American and solve that issue by the 12 th beer...no problems , they would be sing both National Anthems on the 16th beer...
Trump administration? Solutions to help Americans? Ha! At least money losses means you won’t have to pay taxes. Hopefully you can survive and be in business next year.
Well the trouble is that it will become a possible back-door to Canada and the last thing Canada needs is more "Alaskan" line jumpers who take side trips to sightsee or never actually intend to go to Alaska. As for not making money since March, so have millions of others on both sides of the border.
Same geographic area.....what's the problem? The US would be noble and just give it to Canada (if approved by the population). And what about that landmass & islands in Minnesota?
Exactly! Another area through a surveyor's error that ended up having a portion of supposed all North of the 49th being Canada grabbed by the U.S. and then being landlocked by Canada,. They'll probably beetch at Canada as well.
Because of the US handling of COVID-19, I do not want the border to be opened right now. That being said, I think an exception should be made for the people of Point Robert's. I absolutely love it there and dont want their businesses to go under.
What's the difference between the US and Canadian handling of COVID-19 ? Just like in Canada, the COVID response is done by states not by the federal government. Saying the US isn't handling COVID is like saying Canada isn't either because Quebec and Ontario are a shitshow.
@@IbangedYaMama I'm sorry, but you can't imply that the US is doing anywhere near as good as Canada right now. That is why the EU considered Canadians safe and not Americans... .
@@christopherherbert7062 Like I said : there are 50 states with 50 different situations and most of them are doing great but a handful aren't. Just like there are 10 provinces and 3 territories but only 2 of them aren't doing good.
@@IbangedYaMama There's also been a national response. Led by Trudeau and Trump. Now given in Canada, the federal government has a lot more authority over provinces than the Feds in America do, but if you look at how terribly Trump handled the situation it is laughable. I think it is especially important now for people to point out Trumps complete mishandling of this, since the election is coming.
@@christopherherbert7062 I'm sure you have mountains of evidences to support your theory that the Canadian Federal response was better than the US ? The US closed their international border way before Canada, other than that the only thing federal governments can do is give money to people and businesses and guess what ? They both did.
