Cross-border order pickups in tight-knit Montana-Alberta communities hit hard by tariff talks

In a tightly-knit community along the Alberta-Montana border, the anxiety caused by tariff threats between Canada and the U.S. is disrupting a longtime cross-border practice.

It's common for Canadians living near the border in Alberta to have online and mail-order purchases delivered to northern Montana businesses, like At the Border Storage in Sweetgrass, Montana, that are set up to receive and hold packages.

Customers can avoid international shipping rates or pick up items that are impractical to deliver to Canada by driving down into Montana, picking up their order from the facility it was delivered to, and declaring it at the border when they re-enter Canada.

But as tariff threats have continued, At the Border Storage owner Amy Lindskog estimates she's seen a 30 to 35 per cent downturn in her business.

"It's the uncertainty and the unknowing of what there's going to be tariffs on, what it's going to cost them. And with the exchange rate the way it is, [there are] a lot of uncertainties," Lindskog said, adding that her customers are almost all Canadian.

Before U.S. President Donald Trump introduced new tariffs on goods from many countries, Lindskog said the pickup process was simple for customers — typically they only had to pay GST when declaring their items at the Canadian border upon re-entry.

Now customers need to know where their purchases were manufactured and what tariff cost will be applied as well.

Sweetgrass, a town of less than 70 residents, has two facilities set up to receive packages for Canadians: At the Border Storage and the Montana Shipping Outlet.

Both businesses cater to Canadians because of Sweetgrass's location, right along the border across from Coutts, an Alberta village it's closely tied to, with which it shares the busiest crossing on the Alberta-Montana border.

But U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics show fewer travellers are entering the U.S. at the Coutts-Sweetgrass crossing. The number of passengers entering the U.S. at this stop was down nearly 15 per cent this February, compared to February 2024.

Canadians are also at risk of longer delays when crossing the border into the U.S. 

Last week, the federal government updated its online travel advice for Canadians, informing them border patrol officers have "significant" discretion in deciding who enters the U.S. and the power to search phones and laptops.

'Buy Canadian' movement brings customers to Lethbridge shops

The desire to buy Canadian goods, anxiety and confusion around tariffs, and an exchange rate that hits Canadian wallets hard have all combined to boost business for local Lethbridge shops, said Economic Development Lethbridge CEO Trevor Lewington.

"Most of the retailers in downtown, in particular, have said that there's been an interest in the smaller boutique stores as people look for more local alternatives," Lewington said, pointing out that buying from local stores has a big impact on the community's economy as a whole.

"Local businesses pay local people, they pay local taxes, and local business owners tend to reinvest back into their own communities," Lewington said. "So it has a much bigger impact than, say, buying from a national chain or ordering off a website."

Scott Warris, co-owner of Analog Books in Lethbridge, makes monthly trips to Montana, using both Sweetgrass shipping outlets to stock up on books that are impractical to send directly to his shop. He says many stores in Lethbridge do the same to fill their shelves.

But while tariff talks and heightened border scrutiny have led to him taking fewer trips into Montana, the "Buy Canadian" movement is bringing more readers through his doors.

Analog's business has markedly increased since January, to the point the store is looking to hire more help, Warris said.

"It is making a difference, and it is noticeable," Warris said, adding that the shop has recorded 25 per cent more transactions in the last 90 days compared to the same period a year earlier.

"A lot of people have been in the store for the first time too. They're like, 'Oh we didn't even realize you guys were here.' Which kind of tells me they've probably been buying their books from Amazon or online, through eBay, picking them up at the border."