Stewart, B.C., mayor calls for around-the-clock border staffing

The mayor of Stewart, B.C., is calling for 24-hour staffing at the community's border with Hyder, Alaska, after its hours were cut following a complete closure during the pandemic.

The communities of Stewart and Hyder share an unusual relationship — they are tightly connected neighbours, about 500 kilometres northwest of Prince George, B.C., that share services and amenities, but are separated by an international border.

Right now, the border is staffed 16 hours a day. During the summer months, it's 17 hours a day. When the border isn't staffed, travellers can seek entry using telephone reporting. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the Canadian border was staffed 24 hours a day.

According to Stewart Mayor Angela Brand Danuser, the limited staffing creates challenges for tourists and those in industry, who have to pass through the United States to reach destinations in Canada.

"It's really important," said Brand Danuser of the border, adding the small community of Hyder, with a population of around 60, doesn't have any of its own services or amenities. Residents must cross into Stewart for gas, groceries, health care and more.

Stewart and Hyder are also tourist hot spots, with travellers pouring in during the summer months to see Salmon Glacier. To get to the glacier, they need to cross into Hyder and back into B.C.

"I don't see any reason why [the border] can't go back to 24 hours a day," Brand Danuser said.

But it's not just tourists and locals who use the border. Not far from the two towns, in B.C., sits the Premier Mine, where Ascot Resources will soon begin extracting gold.

Ascot Resources has reopened the processing plant at Premier Mine near the town of Stewart, B.C. (Ascot Resources)

Bryant Schwengler, vice-president of operations and general manager of Premier Mine, said he has a large workforce — about 200 employees, who need to be able to cross the border at all hours of the day.

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According to Schwengler, many of the company's non-local employees return home during their off days, leaving the mining work camp around 3 a.m. to catch a bus at 5 a.m. in Stewart.

Reporting at the border by telephone, he said, takes longer than reporting in person.

"When you're looking at bringing 20-30 people through the border at one time, the time increase can be quite significant," said Schwengler.

Brand Danuser said Stewart's tourism numbers beat pre-pandemic levels last summer, and the increased visitors and mining workforce are creating backups at the border.

"Tourists like to start their day early, so if they have to, unfortunately, get stuck in a lineup with a whole bunch of other workers, it's a huge bottleneck," she said.

The Canada Border Services Agency declined an interview, but said in a written statement it "regularly assesses the allocation of resources and hours of operations to respond to current service needs and evolving trends."