In recent years, Grand Forks has hosted high-level sports events that brought together athletes and fans from Canada and the U.S. The 2005 World Juniors Hockey Championship was a standout example; and when the Canadian team beat Russia in the finals to claim the title, American and Canadian fans in the sold-out Ralph Engelstad Arena waved Canadian flags and roared as one.
What an honor it is for Grand Forks to see its host-community role expand to include high-level policy events.
The Connect USA/Canada Economic Summit is one. The two-day summit begins today at the Alerus Center and Canad Inns Destination Center. The event is inspiring, the speakers and guests are impressive, the venue -- a place where Canad Inns' maple leaf logo stands on high display, proudly telling Interstate 29 motorists that "Canadian is spoken here" -- is the most appropriate in the Midwest.
Congratulations to the organizers, a salute to the distinguished guests. And a hearty welcome to all.
The summit comes at a crucial time. Travel and trade between the U.S. and Canada are more important than ever; but at the same time, delays at the border and the prospect of travelers needing passports are taking a serious toll.
ADVERTISEMENT
In 2007, "delays of up to three hours were not uncommon, even at some border crossings not known for extensive wait times," the U.S. and Canadian chambers of commerce said in February in a joint report.
"The problem was so severe last summer that the Ontario Ministry of Transportation installed portable toilets along Highway 402 (north of Detroit) for travelers."
The results are painful for anyone who remembers when the only barrier blocking many border crossings at night was a single orange cone.
The delays already are costing Canadian truckers $500 million a year. As for the full cost to the U.S. and Canadian economies, it could be as high as $13.5 billion a year, the chief executive of the Canadian Trucking Alliance reported in April.
But all is not lost. Both Barack Obama and John McCain seem likely to be very sympathetic to northern border states' concerns. That means there's a good chance the two countries will reach agreements on fundamental issues, such as timelines for implementing security measures, required border-crossing documents and streamlined inspections.
Meanwhile, summits such as the one in Grand Forks today are all to the good.
In January, an economics professor at Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ont., suggested that states and provinces in the American and Canadian heartlands form an economic union of sorts.
"This economic region requires a sense of common vision if it is to continue to grow and prosper," Livio Di Matteo wrote.
ADVERTISEMENT
"Leaders in this region need to come together and facilitate cross-border commerce and activity. ... At the very least, a regional forum between chambers of commerce and political leaders to examine common economic problems and solutions would be a good start."
That summit kicks off today in Grand Forks, with Di Matteo among its distinguished guests. Again, welcome.
-- Tom Dennis for the Herald
