In a small Alaska town, Canada-U.S. tensions are upending a longstanding relationship

The Current23:14In a small Alaskan town, the Canada-U.S. fight feels personal

Chelsey and Dustin Stone were getting ready for another busy tourist season when they got the first call.

"He was pretty upset, rightfully so," said Dustin. 

The couple runs a small, nine-room inn in Skagway, Alaska, called At The Whitehouse. In the winter, they have to shut a portion of the inn because the wind blows too hard. 

The man on the phone was a guest from Whitehorse — 140 kilometres from Skagway — and he was cancelling his room and his trip to the town because of the United States government's approach to Canada since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected, Chelsey recalled. 

"He doesn't want to be here, and I said that's very valid. I understand and I'm so sorry. Please know that that's not how we feel.… I really hope that someday you'll return to Skagway."

Some people in Whitehorse have directly indicated they will no longer be travelling to Skagway, or other Alaskan towns.

In a March letter to Skagway mayor Sam Bass, Yukon resident Karen McColl wrote that she's "breaking up with America, with Alaska and with Skagway."

"I can't vote in America, but I can vote with my dollars," the letter reads.

Chelsey says the inn has had between 10 to 15 cancellations since Canadians started boycotting travel to the United States.

It's tough, she says, because they're just returning to normal after the pandemic, which their business barely survived. Now, businesses like theirs are particularly vulnerable to that downturn in travel. 

"The financial hit sucks, but what really hurts is just watching our relationship with the Yukon break down in real time," said Dustin. 

It's that relationship that some Alaskan politicians are looking to address with a resolution. 

House Resolution 11, titled Recognizing and Honoring the Relationship Between Canada and Alaska, aims to make it clear that despite rhetoric from the south, in the North the connection between Alaska and Canada is sacred.

Relationship with ancient roots

Skagway sits along the Alaska panhandle, in the southern part of the state. The bulk of tourism comes from 1.2 million cruise ship passengers, according to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, that visit the town of around 1,100 in the warmer months. 

But people from the Yukon often take the two-hour drive south to Skagway. They come for a change in scenery, or annual events like the Santa Train at Christmas or baseball in the spring. 

People in Skagway regularly head to Whitehorse, too — to buy groceries at the bigger box stores, but also for dental and vet appointments. 

That travel has ancient roots. 

"Skagway is a really important entry point for coastal Tlingits to access inland Tlingits, and the Chilkoot Trail was a trading route between those groups," said Jaime Bricker, the region's tourism director and tribal president for Skagway Traditional Council.

During the goldrush, Skagway continued this connective tradition. Thousands traversed the Chilkoot Pass between Alaska and Yukon to seek their millions. 

Bricker says that closeness between the two areas can make it feel like Yukon is, "an extension of family, in every way shape and form." 

Government reaches out

The Town of Skagway assembly, the local government, has expressed their support to Canada in a letter sent to Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai. It outlined how much they value the relationship between the two regions. The letter was not signed by Bass, a move Dustin says sends the wrong message to their northern neighbours.

Not long after that letter was sent, Republican state Rep. Chuck Kopp's office introduced House Joint Resolution 11, legislation centered on the importance of maintaining not only the positive economic relations, but goodwill between the two regions. 

According to the resolution, Alaska exports nearly $600 million US in goods to Canada and imports about $750 million US from Canada each year. Additionally, more than 47 Canadian-owned companies operate in Alaska and employ 4,350 residents throughout the state.

"House Joint Resolution 11 is an unqualified affirmation of the strong bonds of friendship, shared history, mutual defense and support that have bound our state to Canada over centuries.… We are speaking to that relationship," said Kopp before an Alaska state works committee in March.

The resolution doesn't enact any laws — it's a symbolic gesture

On Wednesday, the resolution was moved to a third reading, with four dissenting votes out of 40 representatives. The state Senate is scheduled to put it to a vote on May 5.

Both Bass and Kopp declined interviews about the letter and resolution.

Residents speak out

Losing the connection between Alaska and the Yukon worries both Bricker and Dustin, the inn owner. 

"It's sad that our [federal] government has, you know, driven this wedge in between our communities," said Dustin. 

But some Skagway residents don't have the same level of concern about Canadians deciding not to come for a visit. 

Trish McGee, a longtime quilt shop owner who is now retired and living outside of Skagway, isn't concerned either.

"Fine, don't come," she said.

McGee, a Republican, says people need to give Trump a chance. She says she doesn't dislike Canadians, but they don't make up the bulk of their tourist dollars. 

"Everyone [around town] just needs tourist season to start ... and go to work." 

Magnets, stickers in support

Still, many residents want to show Canadians they are missed.

"We love our Canadian friends," said Scott Logan, who's lived in Skagway for 54 years. He's got the magnets — small Canadian flags — to prove it. 

He has driven around town sticking the magnets on the cars of friends who said they would like one.

"Canadian flags for your Canadian-friendly vehicle, to give you a hint of solidarity," said Logan. 

The tourism office has made stickers — a heart with both the Alaskan and Yukon flags and "Friendship Beyond Borders" written across them — to show their love. 

Bricker says some businesses in town are also showing solidarity by potentially offering discounts to Canadians this summer. 

Concerned, but hopeful for a resolution

Dustin and Chelsey understand why Canadians might not want to make the trip right now. 

"It's sort of weird to have been sucked into this larger conversation in this larger conflict now," said Dustin. 

"It feels like we normally get to float above all of this because we're just the weirdos living out in the middle of nowhere who nobody thinks about."

For Bricker, she appreciates the Canadians who are making the journey to her hometown, but also understands why some Canadians won't make the trip. 

"It makes me sick to my stomach that our friends and our family and our neighbours feel angst about what's going on in our countries," she said.

"But I also feel hopeful, and [I see a] really strong connection with people in our region."