Alberta, Montana ask feds for extended hours at border crossing

Alberta's provincial government and the State of Montana have joined forces to ask for changes to a border crossing between the two jurisdictions — a request the Canadian government doesn't have an answer for right now. 

Premier Danielle Smith and Governor Greg Gianforte penned a joint letter in August asking Canada and the U.S. to designate 24-hour access for the port of entry at Wild Horse, in the southeast corner of the province. 

There is currently only one crossing between Alberta and Montana open all hours, the port of entry at Coutts, which gained notoriety for being blockaded in early 2022 during protests against COVID-19 public health measures.

The two leaders argue trade and travel are being curtailed because the Wild Horse crossing is open only 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. most of the year and closed on weekends to commercial traffic. 

"The limited hours of service create hardships for our citizens who rely on the border crossing for work or access to essential services," reads the letter, addressed to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and President Joe Biden.

"The Wild Horse crossing serves as a primary bottleneck, constraining north-south traffic and trade." 

There is no indication whether the national governments will grant the three-month-old request. Both countries would need to be on board to adjust staffing and resources through their respective agencies, as Canada controls Canadian Border Services Agency operations and the United States dictates U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

"The CBSA continues to be engaged with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in discussions regarding hours of operation at the land borders, including Wild Horse Port of Entry," a statement from CBSA reads. 

"The agency focuses its resources on the many priorities and threats that Canada faces while finding the right balance between maintaining Canada's security interests and the country's economic competitiveness."

There was no response to requests for comment from the Montana and U.S. governments. Alberta's government said it had no additional comment. 

The letter also asks that the emphasis be on expanding the crossing's capacity to handle commercial traffic. 

Trade between Alberta and the United States hit approximately $219.7 billion Cdn last year, and totalled $14.6 billion Cdn between Canada and Montana.

"Ensuring these goods can continue to flow unimpeded is critical to the long-term economic prosperity of our two jurisdictions," the premier and governor wrote. 

Statistics Canada data shows there were around 37,500 land border crossings into Alberta last month, up 12 per cent compared to the previous October. 

Wild Horse crossing offers extended hours to 9 p.m. for travellers during the summer, but no additional flexibility in that season for commercial traffic. 

Alberta has six ports of entry with the United States. Most close after business hours or offer extended hours only in the summer.