STANSTEAD — Local and federal officials on Friday condemned a U.S. decision to end border-free access for Canadians to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House, a unique institution that straddles the border between Stanstead, Que., and Derby Line, Vt.

With the building’s entrance in Derby Line, a long-standing agreement with American authorities had allowed Canadians to walk the short distance across the border into the library without showing their passport.

U.S. Border Patrol and the RCMP had monitored the area surrounding the library and were authorized to search bags or request documents from visitors.

But on Tuesday, U.S. Border Patrol officials informed the library that they were putting an end to that agreement, library president Sylvie Boudreau told The Gazette Friday morning. Officials cited “border security” but didn’t elaborate further, she said.

“Everyone is disappointed. Nobody thinks it was necessary,” Boudreau said.

The library, which since its 1901 founding has aimed to stand as a symbol of cross-border unity, has found itself in the limelight in recent weeks following a visit from U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem in which the official repeatedly called Canada “the 51st state.” At the time, Boudreau called the comments “shocking” and upsetting for library staff.

At a press conference on the Canadian side of the border, Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone and MP for Compton-Stanstead Marie-Claude Bibeau denounced the changes.

“Today’s announcement does not make sense,” Stone told reporters.

“For more than 100 years, there has been an unwritten agreement that allowed Canadians to access the library from this sidewalk. “

It worked and there were very few problems, a testament to the co-operation and friendship between our two countries.” He said Stanstead and Derby Line are tightly knit despite being in different countries.

“Without borders, you wouldn’t even know we are two separate communities.”

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is a symbol of “the amazing relationship forged over generations between our two communities,” said Bibeau.

“Although this news makes absolutely no sense, it will not undermine the wonderful relationship between our two communities.”

While residents, media and officials gathered in Stanstead, around a dozen Vermonters stood opposite the stone blocks demarcating the border. Among them was Rick Ufford-Chase, mayor of nearby Newport, Vt.

“I can’t find any rhyme or reason” for the decision, Ufford-Chase said. The soon-to-be-cancelled arrangement with border officials “causes no security risk,” he said.

“I’m outraged, along with everyone I’ve talked with.”

Shortly after the press conference, Gus, who said he was from Derby, Vt. and declined to give his last name, stood on a stone border block and said he had an announcement.

“What they’re trying to do here is a real travesty,” he said. U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is “just trying to divide more people.”

“I’m so proud of you,” he said, addressing the Canadians across from him. “You’re sticking up to this tyrant.”

Penny Thomas, from nearby Newport, Vt., held a sign protesting the decision.

“It’s embarrassing that we’re treating our allies this way,” she said. “I hope that our Canadian neighbours understand that many of us do not feel that the United States government represents us.

“It’s frustrating that it’s come to this,” said Brad Crawford, a dual citizen living in Stanstead and working in Vermont.

Escalating cross-border tensions amount to a fight between officials, he said. “It’s not between me and the guy in Derby Line.”

But he said the tensions risked stopping both Canadians and Americans from spending money on visits across the border.

“If it continues, some businesses are going to be lost. There’s no question about it,” Crawford said.

As of Monday, the library will ask Canadian visitors to cross into the U.S. at an official border crossing and enter through the front door in Derby Line. The library will also open a door on the Stanstead side for Canadian visitors who don’t hold a passport, Boudreau said. Visitors will still be able to move freely within the library, but must leave through the door they initially entered.

Library members will be temporarily exempt from the new rules, Boudreau said. They will be allowed to cross in the same way as before with an identity document and library card until the informal crossing fully closes in October.

“That access was there for over 100 years,” Boudreau said. “It’s a symbol of unity between our two countries, our two communities.”

Reconfiguring the library to accommodate a second entrance will cost around $100,000, Boudreau told reporters Friday afternoon. The library has launched a GoFundMe page to finance the project and will also be applying for federal grants, she said.

“I can assure you that we have already begun to look at how we can support the library and the opera house,” Bibeau said, saying that the federal government was aware of the library’s importance in the region.

‘Vermont loves Canada,’ senator says

Vermont Democratic Senator Peter Welch called the reports of Canadian’s access to the library being restricted troubling.

“Vermont loves Canada. This shared cultural institution celebrates a partnership between our two nations,” Welch wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Earlier this week, Welch had organized a cross-border trade conference between Quebec and Vermont where he denounced Trump’s threats to annex Canada and said he was “absolutely horrified” by the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on Canadian goods.

Story Written by Jack Wilson & Andy Riga, Montreal Gazette (With files from The Canadian Press)

Story Link: https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/article829215.html