The road not taken: lowest number of Manitobans in three decades cross border at Pembina in July, August By: Chris Kitching Posted: 6:41 PM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025

Many Manitobans appeared to skip U.S. road trips over the summer as the number of southbound travellers hit at least a 30-year low — excluding COVID-19 pandemic years — at a major border crossing south of Winnipeg.

The Pembina, N.D., port of entry recorded 93,372 personal vehicle passengers in July and August, a 42 per cent drop from the same period in 2024, based on U.S. Department of Transportation figures that date back to 1996.

“I noticed it’s the first time in many years more Americans were coming up than Canadians were going down,” University of Manitoba Prof. Lori Wilkinson, the Canada Research Chair in Migration Futures, said of wider cross-border travel data.

“The continued threats from the American administration about annexing us have really bothered people. And the tariffs. You can’t discount those two big elephants in the room.”

“I think the obvious reason is the continued threats from the American administration about annexing us have really bothered people. And the tariffs. You can’t discount those two big elephants in the room.”

She expects to see a longer term drop until the matters are settled.

Some Canadians vowed to boycott U.S. travel or “buy Canadian” after President Donald Trump’s annexation rhetoric and taunts earlier this year.

Wilkinson said some Canadians could be putting off trips because higher costs at home leave them with less disposable income.

“The increasing cost of living means people are less able to travel anywhere,” she said.

The exchange rate could also be a factor, Wilkinson noted. The Canadian dollar was trading at about 72 U.S. cents Wednesday.

July and August are typically peak months for road trips to the U.S.

The combined tally of 93,372 personal vehicle passengers at the Pembina border crossing was the lowest since at least 1996 (outside of the 2020 and 2021 pandemic years, when governments imposed travel and other restrictions).

The highest total was 245,727 passengers in July and August 2006. The Canadian dollar was gaining ground on the U.S. dollar at the time.

Barry McLarty, a commercial truck driver who lives in Winnipeg, crosses into the U.S. once a week for work. He and his wife, Susan, spend some of the winter months in Florida.

They waited in a queue of vehicles at the Pembina border station when they drove down to Grand Forks, N.D., for a day trip on a Thursday in September.

“It’s not as busy as it used to be, but it’s still pretty consistent when you cross, especially if you go down on a weekend,” McLarty, 72, said.

He noticed “quite a few” Manitoba licence plates in Grand Forks, especially in parking lots outside some big-box stores.

“I think a lot of people are doing the day trips because if you pick and choose what you shop for, you can save a lot of money,” McLarty said.

Sandi Luck, who owns Bully Brew Coffee House locations in North Dakota and Minnesota, and two Board Room Coffee and Taphouse locations in Grand Forks, said there are signs of a decrease in visitors from Manitoba.

“You don’t see the Canadian licence plates as much as you used to,” the lifelong Grand Forks resident said.

Luck, who visited Winnipeg last week, said she hopes Grand Forks’ promotions and marketing efforts encourage Manitobans to visit.

“I think it’s also our job to have what they’re looking for,” she said. “We’re a big small town. We have a lot to offer.”

A new Statistics Canada study found the number of Canadian-resident return trips from the U.S. (by land, air and water) was down 30 per cent in August compared with the same month in 2024.

The number of trips to Canada by U.S. residents decreased by 1.4 per cent in August amid steep declines at ports of entry in Ontario and Quebec.

It was the third time since June 2006 (excluding pandemic years) when more Americans made trips to Canada than Canadians travelled to the U.S., StatCan said.

Despite downward trends in other provinces, Manitoba welcomed more U.S. visitors in July and August (94,970) than it did over the same period last year (81,423).

Manitobans who winter in Arizona, California and other U.S. states have started making their way south.

The Canadian Snowbird Association is closely monitoring cross-border travel trends, said spokesman Evan Rachkovsky.

“While ongoing economic and political headwinds have made the snowbird lifestyle more complex, the United States remains the top destination for Canadian travellers seeking to escape the winter months,” he wrote in an email.

“With new registration requirements now in place for long-term visitors to the U.S., we strongly encourage snowbirds to plan ahead and ensure they remain compliant with all applicable rules before travelling.”

Canadians who plan to stay in the U.S. for at least 30 days are required to fill out a U.S. government registration form (unless exempt) and submit fingerprints (unless waived).

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security this week amended its regulations to require all non-citizens to be photographed when entering or exiting the U.S., starting Dec. 26. Some may be required to provide fingerprints.

Facial recognition technology will be used to compare a traveller’s photo with the image on their travel document or existing information on file.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca