UNews - Flathead Valley

Border policies greatly affect communities

trevor.kenney — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:45:55 +0000

Close co-operation between municipalities and chambers of commerce on both sides of the border is important to ensure that decisions made in Washington, DC and Ottawa will serve the interests of most residents of the region, according to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge political scientist Geoffrey Hale.

Groups like the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) do an excellent job of promoting broader regional interests on cross-border economic co-operation, says Hale, but there are enough different interests at play on border issues that area business groups can't take political responsiveness for granted.

"Governments in both countries naturally tend to be focused on big ticket items and the busiest border crossings, especially when they're stretched financially" says Hale, noting the ongoing work of the "Beyond the Border" Task Force announced by President Obama and Prime Minister Harper in early 2011. "This can lead to the emergence of 'nickel and dime' irritants that create unnecessary barriers to economic activity."

Recently, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed that the U.S. Congress authorize a study to explore the feasibility of collecting a fee for both Americans and visitors returning to or entering the United States across its land borders with Canada and Mexico. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, about 193 million people crossed the U.S. land border in 2012 – including 1.5 million across Montana's 13 border crossings with Canada.

The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee quickly passed an amendment to the comprehensive immigration bill now before Congress to scrap the measure. Congress is also considering proposals to allow Canadian "snowbirds" not working in the United States to stay an additional two months (above the current six) if they own or rent property there without triggering tax penalties under complex IRS rules. Canadians have invested heavily in vacation and other properties in the Flathead Valley and elsewhere in Montana in recent years.

In 2012, almost one million vehicle crossings occurred at 13 ports of entry into Montana, including 737,724 personal vehicles, with 1,300,642 passengers, 175,770 trucks, 843 buses, 21,342 passengers; and 5,145 pedestrians – most of the latter between the border communities of Sweetgrass and Coutts. The top three crossings – Sweetgrass (I-15); Roosville (US-93), and Peigan (US-89) – account for 86 per cent of passenger vehicle and 84 per cent of truck traffic entering Montana from Canada.

"Cross-border travel, particularly for tourism and recreation, is a major engine for the economy of Flathead Valley," says Hale, who studies economic, security, and other cross-border issues between Canada and the United States. "In addition, Canadian travelers have generated much of the traffic growth at Kalispell / Glacier Park and Kalispell Airports in recent years."

Hale notes that Montana's members of Congress and area legislators have a record of engaging business interests from Montana's northern border regions with a view to promoting economic development and job creation. With members of Congress from both northern and southern border states weighing in on these types of issues, sometimes with very different priorities, it's important for Montanans who benefit from continued cross-border traffic to ensure their voices are heard on these issues, says Hale.

Cross border connection

trevor.kenney — Wed, 18 May 2011 17:22:54 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Economics instructor/researcher Donna Townley spent a recent weekend in Montana doing some cross border teaching that she hopes will help the regional economy in the Flathead Valley.

Townley was outlining the benefits of improving and increasing relationships with Canadian visitors and their neighbours. The Flathead Valley is an area frequented by Canadian visitors, and encompasses Whitefish, Kalispell and other communities.

Economics instructor Donna Townley is helping the Flathead Valley region of Montana understand the benefits of Canadian tourism.

Working in partnership with the Montana West Economic Development Group and the Kalispell and Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureaus, they produced a seminar for the regional business community that explained the Canadian economy, the purchasing power of the Canadian dollar and her research-based discoveries of who visits the Flathead Valley and why.

While it may be common knowledge that there are a lot of Canadian visitors and residents in the area, the actual definition of 'a lot' is a surprise to many. Townley says that increased awareness of the impact that Canadians have on the regional economy should help businesses better serve Canadian visitors.

"The people who attended understood much better that there is a market in southern Alberta for the Montana experience, and they want to build a bridge, not close the gate," says Townley.

She adds that the seminar gave attendees a better understanding of the Canadian point of view, and the economic impact of how Canadians can help their local economy.

"Increasing or even securing Canadian tourism into the Flathead Valley will strengthen the Valley's economy," she says. "I was very pleased to have the support of the Glacier Bank and their people, who talked about Canadian currency. As well, there was a lot of interest in changing credit card machines to take Canadian debit cards, as well as other measures."

Townley says the debit card shift would be of significant benefit, since a recent survey conducted by VISA indicated that more than 65 per cent of Canadians – who are already among the world's highest users of debit cards – would want to use their debit cards south of the border.

She adds that her presentation was a combination sales pitch and crash course in first-year macroeconomics, all the while outlining some big picture reasons why Montana is of continued interest to Canadians. Providing a basic understanding of what influences the value of the Canadian dollar, as well as the Canadian economy, also went a long way with those who attended the event.

"I used prices for everyday items such as pizza, beer, groceries, a tank of gasoline and other typical things Canadians might purchase to illustrate that, even when the value of the Canadian dollar falls to the US dollar (or lower) Canadians will still travel to the Valley, because prices are generally 20 per cent higher in Canada for the majority of items," says Townley.

"The ultimate purpose was to inform local business owners about Canadians so they will be able to continue building strong relationships across the border and provide the best customer service possible."

More than 130 people attended the seminar at Flathead Valley Community College. Guests included business owners from Montana and Alberta, local and regional government representatives, and interested citizens. Townley says she is still getting e-mail questions and comments from guests.

"We hoped to identify those businesses looking for opportunities for Valley-wide cooperation to attract Canadians to the area for entertainment, shopping, recreation, home purchase and business investment," says Kim Morisaki, manager of Client Development and Resources, Montana West Economic Development. "We have heard only great reviews and everyone loved her presentation."

This story first appeared in the Legend. For a look at the Legend in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Townley asks if Montana is open for business

trevor.kenney — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 17:10:13 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Economics instructor/researcher Donna Townley is working in partnership with the Montana West Economic Development group and the Kalispell and Whitefish Convention and Visitors Bureaus to produce a seminar for Flathead Valley businesses interested in improving and increasing relationships with Canadian visitors and neighbors.

At a free morning-long seminar on Friday, Apr. 29 at Kalispell's Flathead Valley Community College, Townley will give a snapshot of the Canadian economy, the purchasing power of the Canadian dollar and her research-based explanation of who visits the Flathead Valley and why.

While it may be common knowledge that there are a lot of Canadian visitors and residents in the area, the actual definition of 'a lot' will surprise many, and hopefully lead to an increased awareness of the impact that Canadians have on the regional economy.

"The ultimate purpose is to provide local business owners information about Canadians that they will be able to use to continue building strong relationships across the border and provide the best customer service possible," Townley says.

The seminar is sponsored by Glacier Bank and will cover the Canadian economy, currency exchange, international credit and debit cards, marketing, advertising, Canadian holidays and border regulations.

Of special interest is a short presentation on technology that allows businesses to track Canadian sales, as well as a panel discussion by local business owners who will discuss their current activities to build customer relations.

Local financial organizations will also be available to answer questions about banking and credit card practices and how to overcome obstacles.

"We hope to identify those businesses looking for opportunities for Valley-wide cooperation to attract Canadians to the area for entertainment, shopping, recreation, home purchase and business investment," adds Kim Morisaki, manager of Client Development and Resources, Montana West Economic Development.

Among other activities, Flathead Living and Lethbridge Living Magazine have come to an agreement to distribute one another's publications in the other's city.

A number of copies of Flathead Living will be available to a targeted market in Lethbridge, while Lethbridge Living magazine will also be available in the Flathead Valley area over the summer.

UNews - Flathead Valley

Border policies greatly affect communities

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Cross border connection

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Townley asks if Montana is open for business

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