NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — Niagara Falls, New York is a melting pot of business, tourists, and locals. But for more than a year, the city has been missing its Canadian visitors. 

What You Need To Know

  • The U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security extended the closure of the Canadian border

  • Many of WNY's businesses rely on Canadian tourists

  • Rep. Brian Higgins pushes to reopen the border to fully vaccinated people

  • He also wants to open vaccine appointments to Canadians

The U.S.-Canadian border has been closed to non-essential travelers since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. That closure was just extended by at least one more month by the United States Department of Homeland Security, a decision that has some people speaking out in confusion and opposition.

“Why? That’s what I’d like to know,” said Darren Gladding, a tourist from Michigan. “It seems like everywhere else is starting to open up again. Why not Canada?”

Representative Brian Higgins, of the 26th Congressional District and co-chair of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus and the Canada-U.S. Inter-parliamentary Group, is calling for the border to reopen to fully vaccinated travelers. 

“Our economy, our life quality, is tied to predictable, reliable access into and out of Canada,” said Higgins. “We’ve been denied that for 14 months.”

He is also proposing that New York State allow Canadians to cross the border to fill open COVID-19 vaccine appointments — something states like Washington and Montana are already doing.