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Proposed plan to limit inter-provincial travel

Peace Region officials say inter-provincial travel restrictions would hurt local economy

Jan 20, 2021 | 2:32 PM

A proposed plan to limit non-essential travel into British Columbia is being met with scepticism in the province’s Peace country.

The B.C. Government has sought legal advice as it is looking into a plan to restrict inter-provincial travel in an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, but officials from the City of Dawson Creek say a border closure would negatively impact the economy.

Dawson Creek Mayor Dale Bumstead says depending on how strict the closure would be, a lot of industries and residents on both sides of the border could suffer.

“People inside the Alberta border in the agricultural communities and (Saddle Hills County), etcetera, use Dawson Creek as the centre for lots of their trade, both retail and in some cases health care, and obviously for our community going into [Alberta],” says Bumstead.

“We’re heavily influenced by the economic aspects of the natural gas sector in our region, and so there’s a ton of interaction between Alberta and British Columbia service companies and the companies developing the Montney Gas Field in our area. So that would have a pretty significant impact.”

“And then there’s Northern Health, the food services that come into our community for our hospital and for our seniors assisted living facility operated by Northern Health, those food services come from Alberta.”

The Executive Director for the Dawson Creek Chamber of Commerce, Kathleen Connolly, echoes the sentiment that closing the border would be harmful, as many people live in Alberta but work in Dawson Creek, and vice versa.

She also says a lot of Albertans cross into BC for recreation purposes, like visiting the ski hills in the winter, and by restricting those visitors it will adversely affect the economy that relies on them.

Connolly adds that Dawson Creek isn’t the only community on the Alberta border, and that those other towns and cities will face similar problems should the border be shut down.

The plan has not been finalized and it’s unclear what the restrictions could entail, but Bumstead says even if it’s just non-essential travel that’s banned, it would still have far reaching economic impacts.

“Certainly I know people from Dawson Creek who go to Grande Prairie, it’s the closest major community to our City, just 130 kilometres away inside the Alberta border.

“You have major retail shopping like the Costco and all of those big box stores that are attractive to residents that have limited access to that for our community.”

The Chair of the Grande Prairie and District Chamber of Commerce, Larry Gibson, is also opposed to a border closure as British Columbians play a role in the Grande Prairie’s economy.

“Anybody who’s out and about on the weekend and travels though any of our major shopping areas will see a lot of BC plates in the parking lot,” says Gibson. “So if they did shut that down completely for the flow coming this way, it’s going to have an impact for sure on the local economy if they’re not having the shoppers coming over and spending their money over here.”

He adds a lot of British Columbians come over because the bigger stores are in Grande Prairie and because there is no Provincial Sales Tax. With that, Gibson says if the border closes it will quickly become apparent just how many people take advantage of that fact.

Gibson also says that enforcement on the border would be very difficult to maintain, as there are lot of people who need to travel across the border for work, and it would take a lot of manpower to make sure just those who need to cross for work are going between provinces.

Connolly is also concerned with how it would be enforced, as well as how much it would cost the taxpayers.

The plan to investigate restrictions on border crossing and inter-provincial travel was announced by BC Premier John Horgan on January 14. The plan is still in early stages, with Horgan seeking legal advice as to whether or not restrictions could be put in to limit people going into the province.

READ MORE: BC seeking legal advice on limiting travel to province: Premier

Bumstead says the topic of the border closure plan hasn’t come up at City Council meetings or at the Peace River Regional District board meetings as of yet.

“Certainly if they said no non-essential travel, and they locked the border down, then our council and certainly our Peace River Regional District would voice, I’m sure, that input into the Provincial Government’s decision before that’s completed.”

Gibson adds that, should the other Chambers in the B.C. Peace want to oppose a border closure, then he and the Grande Prairie Chamber would work collaboratively with the B.C. groups to advocate against the plan.