PIGEON RIVER -- In what could be seen as a positive development for Thunder Bay's business community, vehicular traffic from Canada to the U.S. via Highway 61 is trending considerably lower compared with this time last year.
Data supplied by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a 23 per cent decrease in southbound automobile traffic at Pigeon River in February 2018 compared with February 2017.
There was a similar decline in January, amounting to about 21 per cent.
The drop in traffic from December 2016 to December 2017 was less severe, at 13 per cent.
Over the three month period ending in February 2018, the number of automobiles passing over at Pigeon River (38,434) fell by 8881 compared with the same three months a year ago (47,315).
Charla Robinson, president of the Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce, speculates that the weakening of the Canadian dollar is one factor deterring people from travelling to the U.S.
"If you're not feeling that you can afford to take a road trip, then maybe you're not going to do it," Robinson said.
She added that perhaps that means that those things Thunder Bay residents usually buy south of the border are now being purchased in the city, "so it could be a positive thing for local businesses if they are planning to still make those purchases."
But Robinson said she is hearing that many Canadians are also being more careful with their spending in general, because they are facing numerous increased costs.
