If your business has been affected by the drop in Canadian visitors or by tariffs, please reach out to the EDC. We can connect you with a business advisor, resources, or training.

In May, I joined a cross-border regional forum on behalf of EDC Team Jefferson, organized by our sister-Economic Development Council of San Juan County, and co-hosted by Elizabeth May, Canada's Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands and Sidney, B.C.

Business owners, chambers of commerce, and elected officials from Washington and British Columbia were in attendance, including staff from Governor Bob Ferguson's office. We discussed mutual priorities: restoration of the Anacortes–Sidney ferry, promotion of cross-border trade, and the underlying cause that brought us all together: our nations’ enduring bonds of friendship. The forum built on an inaugural cross-border gathering held last fall.

Both gatherings hit home to me the importance of having our voices well-represented in state, provincial, and national capitals. The interests and values of border communities, from Port Townsend and Port Angeles to Friday Harbor, Blaine, and Bellingham, deserve to be heard loud and clear.

The economic slowdown that prompted these gatherings is as real in Jefferson as it is in Clallam, Whatcom, or San Juan County. Vehicle crossings from Canada to Washington fell more than 24 percent over the first ten months of 2025. The Black Ball Ferry Line, the main way Canadians reach us here in Jefferson, reported its peak-season passenger volume down about 15 percent in the same period with Canadian ridership down roughly 35 percent. Just as painful for our local economy, tariffs have significantly raised the cost of steel, aluminum, and inputs our local manufacturers rely on.

Despite these sobering statistics and political fights at the national level, I came away hopeful. Leaders and residents on both sides of the border are spontaneously organizing, connecting with each other, and showing that we value the same things: mutual trade, enduring friendship, and positive forward momentum for our respective economies. - David Ballif

Contact EDC admin@edcteamjefferson.org