Communities in British Columbia are experiencing a shortage of tourists from Alberta

The small village of Field, British Columbia, about 10 kilometers from Alberta, faces two problems: A section of the Trans-Canada Highway is closed for construction, and the provincial government is discouraging tourists from Alberta from going there.

Jennifer Kaufman, owner of Truffle Pigs Bistro and Lodge, compares her status to the jockey position in the film Holy Grail Monty Python.

The man says he wants to keep fighting even if he no longer has arms or legs, she says. I don’t know how many legs and arms I left for amputation before I shut down, breathe deeply, and prepare for the fatal moment.

Ms Kaufman estimates that Alberta’s residents made up about 80% of her customers last year, and about 50% before the pandemic.

She said we are very dependent on the people of Calgary. Alberta has helped us weather this pandemic. Things went well last summer. Then I thought I could count on my lucky star. But next summer will be tough.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Janelle Choiette said travel is not prohibited. No controls over cross-county crossings: There are no restrictions preventing people from coming from Alberta. If people come from Alberta and go to a health zone, they have to stay there and cannot go any further. .

All excursions must be considered essential.

Please do not come to our province. Stay home, unless traveling is essential. We love you, but stay home Pleads with the policewoman in british columbia.

In Fernie, southeast of the province, Brad Barcel, general manager of the local Chamber of Commerce, says that about 80% of tourists come from Saskatchewan and Alberta.

He continues to encourage tourists to visit his region. Fernie might as well be in Alberta. We depend on Alberta for tourism, of course, but also for our entire economy. , He said.

These aren’t just random numbers. It is people’s livelihood, it is their life.

The restrictions don’t just affect Canadian societies.

In neighboring Montana, the closure of the border between Canada and the United States hurt the economy of Browning, a town in Blackfoot Native Territory.