Cascadia Border Operations, Issues, and Consequences for the Agrifood Market

In this paper we present a profile of US/Canada border operations in the Western Cascadia Region, which lies between the Greater Vancouver and Puget Sound megacities. We show how this border is distinct from the more commonly discussed US/Canada border between New York, Michigan, and Ontario, in that commodities are typically less time sensitive, and a larger proportion of trips are made intra-regionally. Border procedures are described, as well as current programs for expedited crossings. Results from qualitative interviews with shippers are also presented and discussed, which show the supply chain’s current responses both to mean border crossing delay and the variability of these crossing times. Finally, we consider the consequences of these responses for the agrifood industry in Cascadia, for whom the consequences of delay and variability of delay are more significant.