November 2021
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Reports from the White House say the U.S. is likely to require vaccinated travelers to show proof of a negative Covid-19 test to cross at land borders
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Emergency? Waiting for the Canadians ... Huh? What emergency? B y P a t G r u bb A three-part proposal to provide emergency aid to Point Roberts was thrown back into the county executive’s lap after Whatcom County Council barely managed to rouse itself from torpor to discuss the matter at a Council of a Whole meeting on October 26. Last month council had agreed to a request by county executive Satpal Sidhu to set aside $250,000 for emergency aid to the Point who said he would return to discuss how the funds could be used to obtain relief to the beleaguered businesses and residents of Point Roberts. Sidhu prefaced his remarks to council by explaining that even though the border would open up to vaccinated travelers on November 8, Covid-19 testing requirements imposed by the Canadian government on border crossers would mean that Point Roberts and other border communities would not see an appreciable increase in incoming traffic and could not expect much economic recovery in turn. “These are not the only options, and I would be willing to hear any ideas from council. Even with the border opening up, there may not be that much more traffic,” Sidhu said. The executive’s office had prepared three options to help struggling families and businesses in Point Roberts. The first would provide unemployed individuals whose unemployment benefits expired in September 75 percent of their weekly benefits for a period of six weeks. The state employment security department reported that 59 people in Point Roberts had claimed federal benefits during the week of September 4, the final week of the program’s existence. The average benefit to those individuals was $615.88 per week, meaning those individuals would receive a one-time grant of $2,768. If 50 individuals were to participate, the administration projected it would cost $138,400. The idea failed to gain traction from council. “I’m not comfortable with the county taking on the role of administering (See Emergency, page 3
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s A frequent sight at the U.S. port of entry since the border closed in 2020, a doe grazes and patiently waits for the border to reopen. Photo by Louise Mugar
Point Roberts receives Main Street affiliate status By Meg Olson Point Roberts will take the first step to becoming a Main Street community next year. In an October 8 letter to Point Roberts Community Advisory Committee (PRCAC) president Allison Calder Jonelle McCoy, Main Street specialist with the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation said PRCAC had been accepted as an affiliate of the Washington Main Street Program (WSMSP), effective January 1, 2022. “The purpose of the WSMSP affiliate designation is to provide access to resources and networking opportunities for entities that have an interest in revitalizing
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their downtown or neighborhood commercial district,” McCoy wrote. “As an affiliate, Point Roberts can take advantage of services and benefits through the WSMSP in order to grow in your capacity and expertise in asset-based revitalization.” The Main Street program uses a fourpoint approach to revitalizing the community’s commercial core through preservation-based economic development. The four points include: building a representative organization with broad community support; promotion and event planning; design, preservation and improvement of the district’s assets; fostering (See Main Street, page 3)
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Classifieds ......................................... 12 Coming Up ....................................... 14 Garden ................................................ 9 Library ............................................. 14 Opinion ............................................... 4 Sheriffs ............................................. 15 Tides ................................................. 14