Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Louis Patenaude of the Halfway House in Dundee says he is not worried about his business, after U.S. authorities moved to limit Canadian access to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Stanstead, Quebec, which also straddles the Canada-U.S. border.

Just over 200 years ago, the Dundee spot was a trading post along the banks of the Salmon River. When the frontier separating Canada from the United States was established, the line ran right through the building, which has taken on many forms over the years as a hotel, a bar, and now a freight-shipping company.

Patenaude’s father, Maurice, purchased the building in the 1950s and eventually converted it to a shipping business that allowed Canadians to collect parcels from the United States without having to cross the international border.

The Halfway House is nestled between the Dundee and Fort Covington ports of entry. Patenaude took over the business with his partner, Marie Brown, after his father’s passing in 2022.

Patenaude says he has not noticed any change or additional attention from the Canada Border Services Agency or the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “What are they going to do, sit inside my house?” he scoffs, suggesting there are a half-dozen other buildings between the border stations in the same situation. “It’s been this way since the dawn of the border,” he laughs.

Clients are required to report the contents of their parcels to the Canada Border Services Agency at the Dundee border crossing, where applicable taxes and duties are applied. Patenaude says that despite the imposition of tariffs on certain goods being imported from the United States, he has not heard much complaining.

Business is steady, and Patenaude says it usually picks up come spring; so far, he is not seeing signs of a boycott on American goods. “I think the exchange on the dollar is probably our worst enemy now,” he admits, before explaining his clients rely on his services because it can be difficult to find certain products outside of the U.S. “I have quite a few farmers, and quite a few mechanics, too,” he says.

Patenaude, who lives on the U.S. side, admits he could see a bump in business if local Canadians begin to feel less comfortable crossing the border. “During COVID, we were exceptionally busy because people could not cross,” he says. “That could happen again,” he muses, noting he is registering new clients daily.

“It’s not a hidden secret anymore!” he exclaims.