The Impact of COVID-19 Test Requirements on Cross-Border Travel: A Case Study of Blaine, WA

The COVID-19 pandemic brought new and unprecedented requirements for cross-border travel. In Summer 2021, after more than a year of restrictions on ‘non-essential’ travel, Canada began allowing vaccinated travelers with a negative PCR test to enter and return for discretionary purposes and without quarantine. However, testing requirements for entry to Canada continue to fluctuate, with the latest change going into effect February 28th, 2022. This Border Brief uses the case study of the land border between British Columbia and Washington State to explore how different testing regimes may impact cross-border travel

Strengthening Collaboration Between Washington State and British Columbia

There are a variety of benefits that arise from collaboration across the Canada-US border. In some sectors, the value of collaboration is measurable. For example, travel or trade volumes can be equated with specific economic benefits. This is the case with tourism and supply chain networks. There are traceable benefits associated with cross-border business integration and the development of a shared ‘innovation ecosystem’. However, how does one measure the value of having good relations with neighbors? Or the benefits that result from developing more resilient environmental and economic conditions that are created by joint responses to shared natural disasters? The value of cross-border collaboration is far reaching and the benefits of strengthening it through a formal mechanism have intrinsic value to the quality of life of both British Columbians and Washingtonians. We are partners in trade relations, businesses, security, transportation, and industry. But most importantly, we are neighbors, families, friends, and sports rivals with shared goals for the region we call home

Is there a Future for ArriveCAN at the Land Border?

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic led to the introduction of a number of restrictions as governments around the world sought to implement border management tools that could protect public health. One such example was the ArriveCAN app, introduced by the Government of Canada in November 2020. This advanced data submission tool aimed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring arrivals were vaccinated and by facilitating contact tracing. This Border Policy Brief provides a summary of the nearly two-year use of ArriveCAN as a border management tool during the pandemic. We consider its impact on passenger flows through the U.S – Canada land border, the termination of its mandatory use, and its potential implementation going forward

An Inventory of Environmental Governance in the Salish Sea

How is the natural environment of the Salish Sea governed? The fact that the Salish Sea is bifurcated by a national border has inhibited our ability to answer this question. Indeed, the Salish Sea involves not only two national governments, but also a multitude of both state and non-state actors, which exist across scales, and interact in different frameworks (i.e. First Nations/tribes often seek only to negotiate with federal, rather than state/provincial governments). Environmental governance in the Salish Sea also encompasses informal modes of interaction involving public and private interest groups, social movements and community stakeholders, in addition to traditional governments. This presentation will describe a recently completed inventory of governance structures that bear on the maintenance and revitalization of the Salish Sea. Organized around 16 environmental issue areas ranging from air quality to energy transport, the inventory is a tool for identifying both the barriers and the bridges to cross-border collaboration and management of trans-boundary natural resources in the Salish Sea region