Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Pandemic border protests strand cattle and car parts, snarling Canada-U.S. trade

Share
OTTAWA -

Protests in Canada against vaccine mandates have disrupted two key U.S. border crossings, and are snarling hundreds of millions of dollars daily of trade, ranging from cattle to car parts. Demonstrations demanding an end to federal COVID-19 vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers began Jan. 28 in the Canadian capital Ottawa and have spilled to Canada-U.S. border crossings at Windsor, Ont. and Coutts, Alta. Canada sends 75% of its goods exports to the United States, and the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit usually handles 8,000 trucks a day, representing a quarter of all cross-border trade, or about $500 million per day.

About $100 million worth of auto parts cross the border each day, with many shipments timed to arrive just as manufacturers need them.

"Twenty-four to 48 hours is critical, and I remain confident that we're going to resolve this within that critical timeframe," said Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, who has been talking with both the province and federal government.

Truckers blocked traffic late on Monday, closing the bridge, Canada's Border Services Agency said, but Canadian police later tweeted that U.S.-bound lanes had opened. As of Tuesday afternoon, the Canada-bound crossing remained closed.

Trucks were being diverted to The Blue Water Bridge, 109 kilometres north on the border between Sarnia, Ont. and Port Huron, Mich., which remained open, though with long delays for commercial traffic into Canada.

At Coutts, Alta., protesters have disrupted cross-border traffic for more than a week. Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said on Tuesday he had approved a request from Alberta for additional police.

The intermittent closures have bogged down the flow of U.S. corn to Alberta, Canada's biggest cattle-producing province, as well as trade in cattle and meat, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association said in a statement.

Canada trucks cattle for slaughter south, through Montana, but those shipments are being halted, said Jay Bodner, executive vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association. Canadian cattle shippers want to avoid having trucks of live cattle delayed at the border because of concerns about animal welfare, he said.

The Coutts crossing sees $44 million per day in two-way trade, said David MacLean, vice-president of the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.

Much of Alberta's manufacturing sector relies on U.S. steel imports to make parts for the oil and gas industry, such as pumps and valves.

"We have uncounted examples of Alberta manufacturers who have equipment sitting on the other side of the border, diverting through North Dakota and Saskatchewan," MacLean said, adding that the U.S. is also Alberta's most important export market.

"We can't sell products sitting on the highway."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

An Edmonton man says he was in the wrong place at the wrong time when he was injured by members of the Edmonton Police Service last year.

The brother of a 27-year-old man who was fatally shot in Scarborough over the weekend has been arrested and charged in connection with his death, say police.

Ontario's police watchdog has decided there are no grounds to believe Sudbury police committed a crime during a difficult arrest in May where the suspect's neck was broken.

Local Spotlight

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.

A growing group of brides and wedding photographers from across the province say they have been taken for tens of thousands of dollars by a Barrie, Ont. wedding photographer.

Paleontologists from the Royal B.C. Museum have uncovered "a trove of extraordinary fossils" high in the mountains of northern B.C., the museum announced Thursday.

The search for a missing ancient 28-year-old chocolate donkey ended with a tragic discovery Wednesday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is celebrating an important milestone in the organization's history: 50 years since the first women joined the force.

It's been a whirlwind of joyful events for a northern Ontario couple who just welcomed a baby into their family and won the $70 million Lotto Max jackpot last month.

Stay Connected