Vanceboro Public Hearing on Proposed Reduction of Hours at the Vanceboro Port Border

Over 100 people from both the United States and Canada came out to a public meeting at the Vanceboro, Maine Community Center regarding the impending reduction of operational hours at the Vanceboro, ME border crossing. The US Border Protection Agency was on site to answer questions from locals who fear the reduction of hours will drastically affect their lives. Calais, Maine Port Director Herm Gadway spoke on behalf of Border Protection, answering questions not just on what led to this decision but how he expects it to affect the area and whether or not the decision could be reversed or delayed. The U.S. Vanceboro Port of Entry, which currently operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, plans to reduce its hours of operation to 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Atlantic time beginning some time this fall. The event was moderated by State Representative Jeffrey Evangelos who is based out of Friendship, Maine but frequents the Vanceboro area and cares deeply for the community. 

The St. Croix, New Brunswick and Vanceboro, Maine international border crossing is just 10 kilometres west of McAdam, so the decision to close the border 12 hours a day on the American will also affect Canadians in the region and will no doubt be reciprocated by Canada's border patrol. Like many bordertowns, the two closely knit communities who share resources and a way of life fear the border closure will cripple growth and quality of life in the area. McAdam Mayor Ken Stannix who spoke at the town meeting believes this move will have a devastating effect on both sides of the border, on both a local and global scale.

"We supply ambulance services and fire fighting services to the other side in Vanceboro on occasion, so that would potentially be lost," said Stannix. "We would also potentially lose business opportunities between the two communities. Families on both sides of the border would potentially have to drive all the way around to Saint Stephen and then up to Calais, Maine to visit a relative on either side of the border, so at the personal level--there's that aspect of it. From the trade perspective, which is important as well, Saint John has just gone through expansion at the port. Canadian Pacific has purchased rail lines coming down from Montreal into Maine so that they connect from Maine into Saint John. Reducing hours of operation at the border would bottleneck the supply chain."