{"id":594064,"date":"2026-04-10T04:59:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T04:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/594064\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T04:59:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T04:59:12","slug":"historic-canada-u-s-library-constructing-new-entrance-for-canadians-amid-recent-restrictions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/594064\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Canada-U.S. library constructing new entrance for Canadians amid recent restrictions"},"content":{"rendered":"

A historic library straddling the Canada-U.S. border is nearing completion of a new entrance on the Canadian side, marking a major shift in how visitors access the landmark building.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The Haskell Free Library<\/a> and Opera House, built in 1901, was intentionally constructed across the international boundary as a symbol of unity between the two countries.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor over 100 years, it served both communities as a sign of friendship,\u201d said Sylvie Boudreau, president of the board of trustees.<\/p>\n

For decades, Canadian visitors in Stanstead, Que., could walk a short distance across the border into Derby Line, Vt., to enter the building without passing through a checkpoint or showing identification.<\/p>\n

That changed last year, when local officials said U.S. authorities moved to close the main Canadian access point<\/a>, ending the long-standing tradition.<\/p>\n

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The decision meant Canadians would need to formally cross the border to use the U.S. entrance, prompting concerns about access to what has long been seen as a symbol of cross-border co-operation.<\/p>\n

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In response, the library began work on a new entrance located just inside the Canadian side of the building.<\/p>\n

Boudreau said the project is now in its final stages.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tA historic Canada-U.S. border library is nearing completion of a new Canadian entrance after access changes restricted how Canadians enter the building.\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tCourtesy of Haskell Free Library\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re in the final stretch,\u201d she said, noting remaining work includes finishing construction details, landscaping and parking access. The project has cost more than $600,000.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt costs a lot of money\u2026 something we didn\u2019t need to pay, that we didn\u2019t want to pay, but it\u2019s a necessity,\u201d Boudreau said.<\/p>\n

Once complete, the new entrance will allow Canadian visitors to access the library without crossing into the United States, restoring easier access for the local community.<\/p>\n

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Visitors can still choose to enter through the U.S. side by going through an official port of entry.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1901, the library continues to serve communities on both sides of the border, offering bilingual services, programming and access to arts and culture.<\/p>\n

Despite the access changes, Boudreau said the goal remains the same: preserving the building\u2019s role as a shared cultural space.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A historic library straddling the Canada-U.S. border is nearing completion of a new entrance on the Canadian side,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":594065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[49,48,225753,44,30882],"class_list":["post-594064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-canada","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-haskell-free-library","tag-news","tag-u-s-canada-border"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=594064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/594064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/594065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=594064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=594064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=594064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}