Vandeberg - Trade from Canada crucial to economy

During a Senate field hearing in Havre Friday, U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and U.S. Rep. Steve Daines heard more than just about securing the border. They also heard that Canadian trade is crucial to the local economy, and that more needs to be done to promote that trade.

Havre Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie Vandeberg testified that Canadian trade might be the only reason the Havre area weathered the Great Recession as well as it did, with some businesses estimating that, at times during the holiday season, half their business was from Canadians.

But, she said, problems exist in attracting Canadians to the area, despite the currency exchange rate that now benefits Canadians and despite marketing to the region. One of those is the on-again, off-again hours at the Port of Wild Horse north of Havre, she said.

The port, which requires a permit to transport commercial goods across the border, is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the winter, and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the summer. For the past four years, the period of summer hours has been extended, but neither side has ever exactly matched the other’s extension, with one side or the other often saying the hours would not be extending, then later reversing that decision causing problems in promoting the extension.

“If the door’s closed, then we can’t do business,” Vandeberg testified,

Vandeberg is a member of a cross-border committee that has worked for years to try to have the port upgraded to be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as a commercial port with no permit required.

She said another issue is the permits — a Havre businessman told her that a few years ago transporting agricultural equipment across the port required four permits, now it takes 14.

Daines asked about the increase in permit requirements.

“That’s ridiculous,” he said, adding that he would look into ways to streamline that.

He said a cost-benefit analysis Vandeberg cited also is helpful in addressing the issue in Washington. She referred him to a study conducted by the Montana Bureau of Business and Economic Research on the issue, as well.

Vandeberg said another issue has been finding ways to allow Canadians to use their debit cards — the preferred method of payment for most Canadians — which generally do not read properly in American scanners.

She said the Havre Chamber has brought in Canada Certified, a Whitefish-based organization that helps set businesses up so their employees can scan Canadian cards, and has worked to educate the local business owners on the issue.

Tester asked Vandeberg to give him more information about that issue, as well. He said he wants to contact Visa and Mastercard to see if there is some way to solve that problem.

Bob Kaul, a strong supporter of the Port of Wild Horse upgrade, also asked if there was a way to speed up finding funding to improve Montana Highway 232 that runs from Havre to Wild Horse.

Most of that road is still built to its original specifications when first constructed in the 1930s and 1950s. The local governments are working with the Montana Department of Transportation on the issue, but speeding up the process would be good, Kaul said.

“It is a disaster waiting to happen,” he said.

Tester said he will look into that, but highway funding generally is in the highway bills and finding other funding is unlikely.

“We will check. That is all we can do,” Tester said.