Special to the Pioneer Times
HOULTON – The Canadian dollar’s appreciating value could benefit the local economy. Many grocery items, such as turkey, eggs, and milk, are generally cheaper stateside than in Canada, and with the Canadian dollar on par, many shoppers are looking to take advantage of bargains west of the border.
“It’s a unique situation,” said Doug Hazlett, the Houlton town manager, “Big ticket items, fuel, clothing, milk – I think that has a tremendous benefit to the local communities here.”
According to Ted Woo, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection regional chief of public affairs, the Houlton port-of-entry has seen a 9 percent increase in incoming traffic, compared to this time last year, as reported by the area port director.
Last month, the Canadian dollar reached 1.10 CAD per one U.S. dollar. But just last week, the loonie dipped just below parity for the first time since September, at 99.98 cents per U.S. dollar. Meanwhile, some local businesses have seen an increase in Canadian shoppers, such as Sarah Foster, the store manager of Marden’s in Houlton.
“When the Canadian dollar was above us, we noticed a huge influx,” said Foster, “Now that it’s started to drop back down, the sales are dropping back down a little bit, but they’re still above average.”
While many local businesses are quick to acknowledge an increase in Canadian shoppers, they say it’s a difficult change to measure, as most shoppers change their money before crossing the border or use debit or credit cards.
“We are trying stay as close to the banks as we can,” said Mac Randolph, general manager of Andy’s IGA.
Randolph said that Andy’s has seen an overall increase in customers as of late, but that the increase was contributable to a number of factors.
“Andy’s is striving to satisfy everybody,” Randolph said.
Banking and transfer fees can also have an impact on the practical value of Canadian dollars spent in the U.S., though. But while the two currencies continue to fluctuate, many local stores are offering Canadian dollars on par in order to attract Canadian shoppers and keep their business simplified.
