Discuss Detroit » Archives - July 2007 » Detroit and 9/11's legacy: holding back cross border shoppers « Previous Next »
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Upinottawa
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Username: Upinottawa

Post Number: 930
Registered: 09-2005
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 10:26 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

With a 90+ cent Canadian dollar, one would expect that the cross border shopping craze of the early 1990s would return, seeing Canadian shoppers pump millions of dollars into the Metro Detroit economy. However, it appears that the expected "wave" is little more than a "ripple".

Metro Detroit continues to suffer due to the fall out over 9/11. Not only have automakers and their suppliers lost untold billions due to added costs associated with border delays, but also the retail industry -- which should be flush with Canadian spending -- is not seeing a major boom like the early 1990s.

Entire article: http://www.canada.com/windsors tar/news/story.html?id=d475427 e-7031-41ba-9b59-07bf155fdecd

Cross-border 'wave' just a ripple:
Despite strong Canadian dollar, Windsorites aren't flocking to Michigan as they did in 1990s

Gary Rennie and Jessey Bird, Windsor Star
Published: Tuesday, August 07, 2007

....

But the risk of long lineups waiting to get across a more security-conscious U.S. border and the uncertainty of further delays to pay duties and taxes upon the return to Canada appear to be discouraging a new wave of cross-border shopping similar to the 1990s.

The opening of some major U.S. chain stores, like Best Buy and Home Depot, in the Windsor area has also taken away some of the interest in shopping in Metropolitan Detroit, say retailing experts. Stiffer bridge and tunnel tolls discourage quick trips just to buy one or two items, or fill the gas tank.

More competitive Canadian pricing, wider selection of goods and more delays in crossing the border have blunted the impact of the rising dollar, said Peter Woolford, vice-president of policy development and research for the Retail Council of Canada.

A visit Saturday to Oakland Mall in Troy didn't find many Canadian shoppers -- about a dozen Ontario licence plates in total in a parking lot with over 500 cars. A nearby plaza with a Target store had eight Ontario vehicles. None were at a Best Buy store nearby.

....

© The Windsor Star 2007
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Smogboy
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Username: Smogboy

Post Number: 5647
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 10:56 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

With the $8 toll to come and go being slapped onto anyone at the border, no wonder! I've traipsed all across the US and Canadian border and the crossing here is by FAR the most expensive of any crossing. Check with any border town and see how much they charge- if anything at all.
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Goat
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Username: Goat

Post Number: 9641
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 11:09 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Windsor has its own problems right now which is high unemployment and little investment. People are either leaving (except for uneducacted immigrants)or can't afford to leave.
An ineffectual council and a stubborn mayor who goes from one crisis to another doesn't help the matter either.
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Lowell
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Username: Lowell

Post Number: 4056
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 11:20 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mr. Bush/Harper... TEAR DOWN THIS WALL!

This border is killing our mutual metro Detroit-Windsor economies.

If countries like Germany and France, who slaughtered millions of each others citizens in the last century, can have open borders why can't two countries that have been at peace for almost 200 years?

The Canadian-US open border treaty should be at the top of both countries legislative agendas.

Don't let a minority of protected or paranoid interests continue to penalize all of us and metro D-W in particular.
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Bumble
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Username: Bumble

Post Number: 273
Registered: 11-2004
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 12:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Germany and France have similar laws and immigration policies by dint of the European Union. Canada and the US do not and will not in the foreseeable future.

It's more likely that Warren will agree to be annexed by Detroit.
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Upinottawa
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Username: Upinottawa

Post Number: 931
Registered: 09-2005
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 1:51 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Personally, I do not see a Canada-US European Union style agreement anytime in the near future.

That being said, I am surprised that some people continue to miss the link between significant border delays and the poor performance of Michigan's economy. Before 9/11 Michigan goods flowed freely across the border, post-9/11 has been a different story.

There are estimates that the delays at the Canada-US border crossings cost business on both sides of the border $13 billion per year. One must assume that Michigan companies are bearing a significant amount of these costs.

Security does come at a cost -- but does that cost have to be borne disproportionately by border communities (and low risk travellers and shipments) like Metro Detroit?
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Goat
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Username: Goat

Post Number: 9649
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 2:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

So why the delay in building a new border crossing? A person would think that a second crossing of that importance would be done sooner rather than later.
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Southwestmap
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Username: Southwestmap

Post Number: 874
Registered: 01-2005
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 3:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I don't think the issue is how many lanes across (which is the discussion about a new border crossing) but how many lanes customs will staff and how long it takes to process each car. For the last two weeks, customs has been very agonizing. Waits of up to 90 minutes on the Bridge to enter the U.S. are reported.
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Jjaba
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Username: Jjaba

Post Number: 5499
Registered: 11-2003
Posted on Tuesday, August 07, 2007 - 3:31 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Instead of social bridges to peace and international understanding, we've got bridges to separation.

This reminds us all of the way Jefferson Parish, La., kept innocent people from excaping Katrina Hurricane misery in Orleans Parish. Jeff. placed armed guards with barracades at the Crescent City Connector and the Huey P. Long Bridges for that purpose.

The racist pigs were scared of the Black masses, but they wouldn't even let white tourists with luggage walk over the fucking bridges to safety.

US foreign policy is to divide us from any neighbors. We are in very filthy sick times and for us to let this Govt. on either side of our boarder do this is a sure sign of the sheep we've become.

Forget the economy, what about people to people?

jjaba.
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Upinottawa
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Username: Upinottawa

Post Number: 932
Registered: 09-2005
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 1:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I must admit that I am surprised that Americans (in general) are willing to accept significant border delays without putting pressure on the government to move to more efficient screening mechanisms, increases in customs officers, and directing officers to send people to secondary for certain searches and questioning which now occurs at the booth.

Well, I guess the border delays primarily hurt cities like Detroit and states like Michigan, so why should a significant number of Americans care....
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Lowell
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Username: Lowell

Post Number: 4065
Registered: 10-2003
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 7:11 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The problem to border delays is not "...more efficient screening mechanisms, increases in customs officers, and directing officers to send people to secondary for certain searches and questioning".

The problem is the border [period] and the lack of will of two countries who have been at peace for almost 200 years to evolve a treaty like the European Union where we can get rid of the waste and indignity caused by the border.

You all say it is impossible now and I agree; however, the Berlin Wall removal was totally impossible. I guess we just haven't economically bled enough to come to our senses. So we will just continue to meekly pay our $13 billion a year in waste while government welfare workers, called border guards, retain their rights to search our cavities and delay our lives.
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Miketoronto
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Username: Miketoronto

Post Number: 607
Registered: 07-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 7:29 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

That article makes no sense. How is the border stopping people from shopping? Metro Buffalo is enjoying a huge increase is sales from Canadian shoppers. So much that some Canadian malls, etc are getting upset, just like in the late 80's.

I think the newspapers are just looking for doom and gloom articles. Because the news coming out of Buffalo is totally the opposite.
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Yupislyr
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Username: Yupislyr

Post Number: 234
Registered: 07-2004
Posted on Wednesday, August 08, 2007 - 7:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Yeah, not sure why the Star story seems so different. Just a couple weeks ago the news in the Globe and Mail was...

"Soaring loonie drives Canadian shoppers south"

You can still read the google cache of the story if you want...

Part 1
Part 2

The delays at the border hurt, no doubt about it, but they're happening elsewhere too. While checking the websites for updates on the border situation here, you'll notice that they can be pretty long elsewhere sometimes.

Canadian site
US Site

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