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 mayor of Stanstead, local MP Liberal Marie-Claude Bibeau and representatives from the library held a news conference Friday denouncing the decision to block Canadians from the main access to the building.
Jody Stone, Stanstead’s mayor, said an agreement had been in place for more than a century to share access to the building. Stone, who grew up in the area, said the decision by the U.S. undermines the spirit of cross-border collaboration in the area.
“We drink the same water, we share the same sewer plant,” he said. “Without borders, you wouldn’t even know we were two separate communities. Today’s announcement makes no sense in my opinion.”
The border line literally runs across the floor of the library, but the main entrance is on the American side in Derby Line, Vt.
Until now, the library was considered a neutral location, allowing Canadians to visit without having to go through the procedures of a normal border, with patrol officers ensuring that everyone goes back to where they came from.
‘We will rise above this’
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 direct access from Canada will be closed, starting in October. Instead, Canadians would need to go through at an official crossing.
In an interview with CBC, Boudreau said she was overwhelmed by the development, 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, estimating the pricetag at more than $100,000. She said inside the library things will be “business as usual.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Department of Homeland Security did not return requests for comment.
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.
Heightened tensions
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.
Wendy Linnington, a Stanstead resident, said she’s being using the library for 25 years. She said it was “perfect” prior to this decision, and said she was “enraged” after hearing the news.
She said U.S. President Donald Trump is “picking on the wrong country.”
