The U.S. government is making it more difficult for Canadians to access the Stanstead, Que., library, an iconic building that straddles the border, according to town and library officials.
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House, built in 1904, has been declared a heritage site on both sides of the border and has long been considered a symbol of harmony between Canada and the U.S.
The border line literally runs across the floor of the building, but the main entrance is on the American side in Derby Line, Vt.
Until now, the library was considered a neutral location, allowing visitors to visit without having to go through all the procedures of a normal border, with patrol officers ensuring that everyone goes back to where they came from.
Sylvie Boudreau, the president of the library’s board of trustees, said she was told by a U.S. border patrol officer earlier this week that access from Canada without going through an official customs crossing will be closed, starting in October.
In an interview with CBC News on Friday, Boudreau said she was overwhelmed and near tears. Boudreau said she was “sad, disappointed, even angry, but we will rise above all this.”
For now, Boudreau said the American entrance will still be available to members with a library card, as well as staff.
Boudreau said the library will need to renovate an entrance on the Canadian side, and she already had plans to meet with a contractor.
“It will be a lot of restructuring, a lot of money to be spent,” she said.
Stanstead, Que., and Derby Line, Vt., share a street and a library that straddle the border. But the barrier separating both communities is now being felt more than ever.
‘Emblematic site’
The town of Stanstead has called a news conference for Friday afternoon to “formally respond to the unilateral decision by the U.S. government to close Canada’s main access to this unique heritage building.”
Stanstead said in the release the “closure compromises not only the access of Canadian visitors to an historic symbol of co-operation and harmony between the two countries, but also undermines the spirit of cross-border collaboration that defines this emblematic site.”
Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone, Liberal MP Marie-Claude Bibeau and library officials are all scheduled to attend. The statement also says some representatives from the U.S. are also expected.
In an interview on CBC’s Quebec AM, Stone said he was upset with the change in policy and feels like the “relationship with Americans is deteriorating.”
The new restrictions at the library come amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Canada, and nearly two months after Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem visited the library.
According to Boudreau, when Noem visited she stood on the American side and said “U.S.A. No. 1” and then, after crossing onto the Canadian side, said “the 51st state.”
Boudreau said Noem did this multiple times.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security did not immediately return requests for comment.
