The pandemic-induced U.S.-Canada border closure has been extended another month, until Nov. 21, at least. The border has been closed to non-essential travel since March 21, which has restricted a number of normal activities for Chilkat Valley residents including skiing, snowmachining, moose hunting in the Interior and cross-border tourism.
Haines tourism director Steven Auch said based on weekly phone calls with counterparts in the Yukon, he thinks the closure is likely to persist for some time.
“It’s not opening until spring next year, at earliest, that’s what all indications are pointing toward,” he said. “One of the big things (Canada’s) looking at is case numbers in the U.S. If we continue to see rising case numbers, they’re not going to open.”
A continued border closure will have an impact on Haines tourism, especially if it persists into next summer.
“If it’s around next summer, it will come into play in multiple ways. It limits road traffic, and it potentially could have an impact on cruise ships as well,” Auch said. “If the Canadian border is still closed to traffic, then I would imagine ports would still be potentially closed to cruise traffic.”
A Canadian port closure next summer would mean the most Haines could expect from a 2021 cruise ship season would be a few visits from smaller vessels.
More immediately, the border closure threatens events like the Alcan 200 snowmachine race, which usually takes place in January, and the Buckwheat cross-country ski race, typically held in March. Both races take place on the Canadian side of the border.
Alcan 200 organizer Kathi Lapp said she’s in the process of putting together the annual permit application, asking the Canadian government for permission to shut down a stretch of the Haines Highway for the race. She said with the current border closure, it will be impossible to hold the Alcan 200 in 2021.
“We usually have a lot of Canadian travelers and people from Interior Alaska, so (the border) would have to completely open up for us to go ahead and have the race. As things stand, we’d probably have to postpone or cancel,” Lapp said, adding that a final decision is still a long way off.
The border closure, if it persists, won’t directly impact Haines’ heliski season, Auch said. Although the continued closure could be an indication of other issues like high U.S. COVID-19 case numbers, which could deter travelers, he said.