Border U.S. Regulatory Barriers Mean Increased Costs for Canadian Industry and Its Customers

(NB Business Journal – Rebecca Penty)

Peter Nelson is taking his case for a more open border with Canada’s southern neighbour right to the woman at the top – U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. Nelson, the executive director of the Atlantic Provinces Trucking Association, will be in Washington, D.C., from Sunday to next Tuesday for the Border Trade Alliance annual conference, where Napolitano will deliver the keynote address.

He wants an audience with Napolitano – one of U.S. President Barack Obama’s recently-named top officials – who has mused about introducing new border security measures to bring the United States’ border with Canada in line with its Mexican boundary.Nelson worries new measures will slow down travel for truckers getting across, adding to fees for bureaucracy that is already burdensome for industry. “We only expect to see even more security, not less,” Nelson said, adding that border decisions should balance trade and security needs. “For us, it’s about trade. For her, it’s about security and there doesn’t seem to be any middle ground anywhere.” Read more here.