'Absolutely devastating': Struggling duty-free stores call for end to ArriveCan app
Duty-free shops along Canada's border, like the one in Emerson, are continuing to report record low sales.
Driving home to Colorado from his trip to Canada, Jim Payson decided to stop at the Emerson Duty Free Shop to buy some gifts and a bottle of Crown Royal.
"This was the first time since COVID that we've been across, so it's been probably four years ago last time I came across," said Payson.
Michael Resch, the owner of the Emerson Duty Free Shop, said business has been the worst in the decades he's been open.
"The last couple of years have been absolutely devastating with COVID and the border closed, so we had almost no business at all," he said.
While the border has since reopened, tourism hasn't returned to normal.
Resch said on a pre-COVID Sunday in summer, his parking lot would be nearly full -- a very different situation than right now.
"Well, you can see there's the odd car coming in. Most of them are American travellers. There's very little Canadians going out."
Resch said his sales are only a quarter of what a normal summer should be.
The Frontier Duty Free Association (FDFA) says duty-free shops across the country are hurting.
In a recent report, its 17 members reported a 44.82 per cent decrease in sales in July compared to July 2019. A concerning number as July is the prime month for sales.
The report also found peak holidays like Independence Day and the August long weekend were down about the same.
The association believes government hurdles like the ArriveCan app and vaccination requirements stop more tourists from crossing the border.
"It's only hurting tourism business, more over hurting border towns and border community businesses, so it's doing more harm than good," said Barbara Barrett, executive director of the FDFA.
The FDFA is now calling on the feds to scrap the app, hoping it will encourage people to travel.
"It's important not only for myself," said Resch, "It's important for the employees. It's important for the economy."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
Stormy Daniels took the witness stand Tuesday at Donald Trump's hush money trial, describing for jurors a sexual encounter the porn actor says she had with him in 2006 that resulted in her being paid off to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Air France flight from Paris to Seattle lands in Iqaluit after heat smell in cabin
A plane travelling from Paris to Seattle was forced to make an emergency landing in Iqaluit after there was a heat smell in the cabin during the flight.
CFL suspends Argos QB Chad Kelly at least nine games following investigation
The CFL suspended Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly for at least nine regular-season games Tuesday following its investigation into a lawsuit filed by a former strength-and-conditioning coach against both the player and club.
Boy Scouts of America changing name for first time in 114 years, aiming for inclusivity
The Boy Scouts of America is changing its name for the first time in its 114-year history and will become Scouting America. It's a significant shift as the organization emerges from bankruptcy following a flood of sexual abuse claims and seeks to focus on inclusion.
RCMP not investigating possible foreign interference cases related to Chiu, Dong: Duheme
Canada's federal police force is not investigating any possible instances of foreign interference in the cases of former Conservative MP Kenny Chiu and Liberal-turned-Independent MP Han Dong, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme says.
Federal government grants B.C.'s request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces
The federal government is granting British Columbia's request to recriminalize hard drugs in public spaces, nearly two weeks after the province asked to end its pilot project early over concerns of public drug use.