A Tsawwassen resident has presented a petition with more than 3,000 names in the hopes that Canadians with property in Point Roberts can soon cross the line to perform routine maintenance.
Kevin McIntosh, who launched the petition on change.org in late May, sent it to politicians on both sides of the border, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump, on Monday.
“I propose that the current list of essential reasons for persons to cross the border between Canada and the U.S. be expanded to include those persons owning personal property outside of their home jurisdiction,” McIntosh told lawmakers.
McIntosh, who is now under 14-day quarantine at home following an odyssey to get his boat out of the Point Roberts Marina, told the Optimist he expects the political powers that be to expand the list of essential reasons to cross the border into the American peninsula, hopefully prior to an expected extension of the border closure next week.
Earlier this month McIntosh flew from YVR to Sea-Tac, drove a rental car to Bellingham and then took a chartered flight to Point Roberts, where he prepped his vessel to sail back to Canada.
He said with his boat now back in Canada, his personal situation has been resolved, but he’d like to see others who signed the petition get access to their boats and cottages.
He’s hopeful politicians will agree to expand the definition of essential travel so Canadians with property in Point Roberts can cross the border, so long as they don’t have any contact with local residents and don’t stay for any length of time.
Many who have signed the petition own cottages and worry that without regular maintenance they will fall into disrepair. They raise concerns over rats and raccoons causing damage to vacant buildings as well as the possibility of leaks and other issues. There are also worries about insurance not being valid if structures are unattended for months on end.
Many suggest that crossing the border to check on property should be deemed essential travel so long as those who cross only go to and from their properties.
Delta MP Carla Qualtrough previously told the Optimist she has “a ton of sympathy” for Canadians who can’t get to their cottages and boats, but isn’t sure when they’ll be able to cross the line again.
Qualtrough said she has been in talks with cabinet colleagues in Ottawa as well as people locally in an effort to find a solution that might suit the geographic anomaly, but has yet to come up with one.
“Unfortunately, I don’t see a world where we don’t treat the whole border the same,” she told the Optimist when asked about the unique circumstances in Point Roberts.
She said the best hope for those with property in Point Roberts might be a gradual reopening of the border by region or by type of visitor that could broaden the definition of essential travel.
