How a New Brunswick island is caught in the middle of the Canada-U.S. trade war

For most Canadians, avoiding the United States amid a bitter trade war might mean skipping a cross-border shopping trip or choosing a vacation closer to home.

But for the roughly 900 people who live on Campobello Island, N.B., it’s not that simple.

The Canadian island sits just off Lubec, Maine, and is cut off by road from the rest of Canada. Its only bridge leads to the United States, making crossing the border a part of everyday life.

There’s no gas station on Campobello and grocery options are limited, sending residents across the border for basic necessities.

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“It’s kind of unique,” said American fisherman Dana Barker, who has lived on Campobello Island with his Canadian wife for 50 years. “There’s not a gas station (on the island).”

For one student who lives on the island but attends high school in the U.S., crossing an international border is simply part of the morning routine. “Yeah, I cross the border almost every morning,” she told Global News.

“And there aren’t a lot of grocery store options, so we have to do most of our shopping over (in Maine).”

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That closeness between the two countries is woven into the island’s history.

British loyalists fled to Campobello after the American Revolution. The United States later relinquished its claim to the island following the War of 1812 in exchange for other islands.

Beginning in the 1880s, Franklin D. Roosevelt’s family spent summers at a home on Campobello, a tradition that continued during his presidency.

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Today, the historic site is jointly owned and operated by Canada and the United States, a symbol of a friendship that has connected the two countries for generations.

“The park’s primary purpose and mission is the friendship, unity, and mutual respect that both nations have for each other,” said John Southern of Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

But that relationship has become increasingly complicated as tensions between Canada and the United States spill across the border.

Canadian tourism to Maine was cut in half last year following U.S. President Donald Trump’s taunts and tariffs.

On Campobello, the impact has been even harder to escape.

Residents were forced to pay a 25 per cent tariff on U.S. goods brought across the border until Ottawa announced a special exemption for the island.

Last month, a truckload of supplies was turned back by U.S. border officials. A Campobello brewery has also shut down because of the tariffs.

“So decisions that are made in capitals far away have an impact immediately on Campobello,” New Brunswick MP John Williamson said.

On the other side of the bridge, some Americans say the political tensions risk damaging a relationship that has long defined their neighbouring communities.

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“There’s no reason to be causing bad blood among good neighbours,” Lubec resident Nelson Meaker said. “It’s just crazy.”

Lubec, the easternmost municipality on the U.S. mainland, usually votes Republican. But pollsters are predicting a closer race in the midterm elections, with voters concerned about the cost of living and the trade war with Canada.

For Campobello residents, whatever happens in Washington or Ottawa has a way of quickly reaching their small island.

But Barker believes the ties connecting the two sides of the border are stronger than the political dispute dividing them.

“Oh yeah, we’re gonna work it out,” he said. “We’re too close.”