Border crossing numbers for the Champlain port of entry were down for car traffic last month.
President and CEO of the North Country Chamber of Commerce, Garry Douglas, said the crossings were down 31% compared with March 2024. Douglas said a big part of the decreased is from what he described as "a broad sense of hurt among Canadians toward the U.S. and a 25% surcharge that was imposed by the Canadian government as part of retaliatory tariffs." While the chamber President believes increasing tariffs are the primary reason for the declining Canadian visits, he also noted that an unfavorable exchange rate and a late Easter play into the decline as well.