For Mike Hill, the economic relationship between Blaine, Washington and Canada has never been abstract.
For Mike Hill, the economic relationship between Blaine, Washington, and Canada has never been abstract.
Hill has lived in the border town for 65 years and said its businesses have long depended on Canadians coming south for gas, groceries, restaurants, and other shopping.
“It's always been Canadians coming through,” Hill said. “They come through and buy gas and groceries and stuff like that.”
But years after the pandemic border closure, Hill said Blaine has still not fully recovered, and the latest tensions over tariffs and trade are adding another layer of uncertainty for small businesses that rely on cross-border traffic.
Passenger-vehicle crossings at the Peace Arch port totaled 254,761 in July 2026, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data. That is down 21% from 321,991 crossings in August 2024 and down 48% from 489,513 crossings in August 2019.
Hill said he invested in his business in 2018 and 2019, just before the U.S.-Canada border closed for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We're still trying to recoup from that,” he said. “My payments are the same.”
Hill said businesses are being squeezed by a mix of trade disputes, political friction and the price gap at the pump. He argues that Washington’s fuel costs put Blaine-area businesses at a disadvantage compared with competitors just north of the border.
“We sit here and get crushed,” Hill said, calling on state leaders to consider relief for communities closest to the Canadian line. “We’re surviving, and we’ve been surviving for a long time. But you just get ignored, and that’s frustrating.”
He said the state’s carbon tax went into effect as Canada eliminated it, ultimately giving people like Hill a disadvantage.
Hill said he does not want to turn the story into a partisan argument. Instead, he said, the real concern is the effect of decisions made in Washington, D.C., Olympia and Ottawa on communities that depend on a friendly, functional border.
“I love both countries,” Hill said. “It’s just the craziest time in the world I’ve ever seen.”
Other Blaine residents and business owners described similar concerns.
Erika Creydt, who owns a health care facility in Blaine and grew up in the community, said the town has endured repeated disruptions, from 9/11 to the pandemic, but the unpredictability of escalating trade tensions is especially difficult for people trying to plan.
“Nobody likes instability or unpredictability,” Creydt said. “It makes everybody feel stressed, and it makes it hard for people to plan.”
Creydt said the relationship is deeply personal in a town where families, friendships and businesses stretch across the border.
“We love our Canadian neighbors,” she said. “We definitely want things to be affordable in our community and to have positive relationships.”
Ashley Kayln is an analyst for Toronto-based Peacock Tariff Consulting and said, “The temperature and the climate are not good. There’s fear.” She also said the most affected industries would be agriculture, forestry and retail. “We’ll have to find new opportunities in the EU and with China.”
“It doesn’t look so good right now,” acknowledged Hill, who said he would also like the governor to help reduce some of the tax burden at the pump. “But I just pray that it gets worse real fast and gets it over with, and then go. Because a lot of times you got to get sicker before you get better. So I don’t know if we’re sick or what, but there’s something going on between these two countries.”
