bellingham sends love letter to b.c. as cross-border traffic slump continues
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in the face of a continued slump in visits from their northern neighbours, bellingham city officials have written to several b.c. municipalities in the hopes of repairing strained relations and affirming longstanding ties.
nearly 100,000 fewer b.c. vehicles crossed the border into washington state in may compared to the same period last year, according to data collected by the b.c. ministry of transportation and washington state’s department of transportation.
that was a drop of almost 50 per cent from last year and was the third month in a row with such a precipitous drop in british columbians heading south. the decline in travel to the u.s. coincides with a fervent “buy canadian” sentiment that was brought on by the tariff dispute between the u.s. and canada and u.s. president donald’s trump’s repeated threats of making canada the “51st state.”
bellingham city council members last month approved sending a letter to nine metro vancouver cities reaffirming a “peaceful partnership that has lasted for nearly two centuries.”
“we wish to express our commitment to our connection with the people of canada and our deep-rooted social, cultural, and economic ties,” the letter reads. “it is our hope that our futures will be interwoven with trust and mutual respect, as our histories have been.”
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the letter was signed by kim lund, the bellingham mayor, and hollie huthman, the city council president. copies were delivered on may 21.
in an emailed statement to postmedia tuesday, lund said: “many canadians understandably feel, angry, sad, and betrayed right now. we cannot speak for the other washington, but we can speak for our city when we say it is our hope that we can heal this rift and return to a relationship rooted in goodwill and mutual respect.”
huthman added in the same email: “despite u.s. federal actions and rhetoric that we disagree with, bellingham’s values have not changed. we are committed to maintaining constructive and collegial relationships.”
bellingham, a city of nearly 100,000 people, is about 30 kilometres south of the canada-u.s. border. it’s traditionally been a popular shopping and tourism destination for british columbians.
canada is washington state’s top international market for tourists and the decline in cross border travel could have a significant economic impact.
shoppers walk in to trader joe’s in bellingham, wa, february, 17, 2025.
richard lam
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guy occhiogrosso, president of the bellingham regional chamber of commerce, said in an email that tourism, restaurants and large retail businesses were all being affected but the decline in b.c. visitors, but he suggested smaller border communities, like blaine and sumas, were harder hit.
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during the meeting in which bellingham city council approved the draft letter to metro vancouver cities, coun. daniel hammill said many local businesses have seen a noticeable drop in canadian visitors.
“(they’re) just not seeing canadian plates in the parkings lots as much any more,” he said. “it affects sales tax, it affects revenue. and it’s not just about the sales tax revenue, it’s about the spirit of being welcoming as a community.”
the washington state legislature recently approved a resolution that also reaffirmed the longstanding relationship between washington and canada. in april, seattle-area businesses launched “open arms for canada,” a program to encourage canadian tourism.
in early march, premier david eby urged british columbians to avoid travel to the u.s.
southbound vehicles from b.c. to washington state fell by 26 per cent in february and by 43 per cent in march and the numbers have not improved since.
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