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A new entrance to the iconic library that sits on the border between Quebec and Vermont is now welcoming Canadian bookworms after the U.S. limited entry to the building last year.
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House is inaugurating its Canadian entrance on Wednesday in a ceremony that will gather residents and representatives from both sides of the border.
With one door opening to Stanstead, Que., and the other to Derby Line, Vt., the more-than-a-century-old library has long been a symbol of harmony between Canada and the U.S. A thick black line runs across the library floor to show where one country ends and the other begins.
Last year, the Trump administration barred Canadians from using the library’s main entrance on the Vermont side.
Since October 2025, Canadians wishing to use that entrance have had to present themselves at a port of entry and go through U.S. customs. A temporary entrance on the Stanstead side was made available to Canadians while the library renovated its “Canadian Door.”
At the time, U.S. Customs and Border Protection told CBC it was limiting access to the sidewalk that wraps around a side of the library and connects Canada to the U.S. due to a “rise in illicit cross-border activity.”
The library completed its Canadian entrance in April but is holding a special inauguration ceremony on Wednesday.
Quebec television personality Jean-René Dufort will host the event. There will also be speeches from representatives such as Quebec Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie Christopher Skeete.
Though he will not be in attendance, Bernie Sanders, the U.S. senator from Vermont, will share a message with the audience via video.
WATCH | How have Canadians been getting in so far?:
Canadians can’t use main doors at border library anymore
The Haskell Free Library and Opera House straddles the border between Quebec and Vermont, with the main entrance just steps into Derby Line, Vt. As of Oct. 1, the U.S. government is limiting Canadian access to the entrance — and the library says it’ll cost around $500,000 to build a new one because the library is built out of granite.