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By TOM BELL
MaineToday Media, Inc. 01/22/2008

MaineToday Media, Inc.

In 2006, 6.7 million people entered Maine from Canada in private vehicles, and nearly a half million trucks crossed into the state through 22 official land entry points, according to federal data.

Starting next Tuesday, those crossings will get a bit more complicated. Both U.S. and Canadian border agents will be asking Americans and Canadians 19 or older to present proof of citizenship when they seek to enter the United States through a port of entry, whether that's by land or sea. A passport will be fine. Or a birth certificate coupled with some other ID, such as a driver's license.

This is a step toward requiring passports, a goal that the Department of Homeland Security wants to put in place in June 2008.

Maine business owners and government officials were relieved in December, when Congress pushed back the passport requirement from this summer to next summer, but there is still concern that the new interim requirement for a birth certificate will keep people from traveling between the two nations.

Last year, retailers at border communities, such as those at the Bangor Mall, enjoyed a significant surge in Canadian shoppers, who were taking advantage of the sinking U.S. dollar and the extra spending power that gave them. During one weekend prior to Christmas, 11 motor coaches filled with Canadian shoppers arrived at the Bangor Mall.

Canadian tourist destinations, such as Old Orchard Beach, also saw a lot more Canadians than in the past.

At the Marden's Discount Store in Madawaska, about 60 percent of the shoppers are from Canada, said store manager Debbie Bellefleur.

Because of the weak dollar, she said, Canadians will be motivated to get whatever paperwork they need to cross the border.

The biggest problem, though, is confusion over the issue, said George Driscoll, vice president of marketing for Bay Ferries Ltd., which operates the Cat, a high-speed ferry between Portland and Bar Harbor and Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.

"There is so much confusion it's not even funny," he said. "There is not a person I meet in the street who doesn't think you need a passport to go on the Cat."

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