August 2020
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70 years and going strong, page 8
Clinic proposals due, page 11
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Fire chief calls How to spend a summer evening ... on Trump and Trudeau to help B y P a t G r u bb A letter written by Point Roberts fire chief Christopher Carleton to President Donald Trump and Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau has begun to pick up media interest with the Bellingham Herald and Global TV in Canada running stories on it. The letter was also sent to U.S. senators and representatives and their Canadian counterparts as well as local, state and county politicians. On July 28, the fire chief was interviewed by Seattle public radio station KNKW’s Ed Jonco on All Things Considered. In it, Carleton describes Point Roberts residents as “living under the effective equivalent of house arrest, with only the most restricted access to the basics of life supplied by the world outside our exclave existence.” Carleton pointed out that nearly half of Point Roberts’ residents had been tested for Covid-19 and that he was unaware of any positive cases in the community. Carleton continued, writing, “As we are reasonably certain this crisis is likely to persist for a very significant length of time, we must find some effective means to mitigate the escalating impacts on the physical and mental health, safety, and wellbeing of the Point Roberts community.” Carleton asked both governments to find a way to allow U.S. and dual citizens and green card holders to transit as needed to the mainland U.S. Canadians or others who can prove they own property in Point Roberts should also be allowed to access their property for maintenance purposes. Blaine immigration attorney Len Saunders, a frequent commentator on border issues, said, “It’s a great letter but I don’t think it will make a difference. All the politicians are clueless and heartless.” The chief’s letter has apparently gained traction at the county level. County executive Satpal Sidhu had this to say in personal response to Carleton’s letter: “This is my message to the members of the Point Roberts community. First, your concerns are not falling on deaf ears. Living in perpetual lockdown, restricted to five square miles of land, is not easy and is (See Appeal, page 3)
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WEEKLY NEWS BULLETIN
s Claire and Olivia Morton enjoy a nice float in the sunshine as summer finally arrived at Maple Beach in Point Roberts.
Photo by Stephen Fowler
Colton Foundation to the rescue of local groups By Meg Olson The Helen and Jose Colton Foundation has awarded another $55,000 in grant funding to Point Roberts organizations. “We are continuing to support this community,” said foundation president Andrea Anderson following a visit to the Point in early July. In 2019, the foundation awarded $166,000 to six local non-profits and agencies including Circle of Care, the Point Roberts Emergency Preparedness group (PREP), the volunteer firefighters association, and the local parks department. They were back this year to see some of the projects they supported reach completion,
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while looking for new ways to help. “It was sad to see the community so dependent on tourism, and it didn’t have that support anymore,” Anderson said, adding they were looking for ways to encourage vacation-home owners to keep supporting the community and its organizations even if they can’t come to their properties due to the closed border. “Just because they can’t go there on vacation now doesn’t mean they shouldn’t support the community resources so they will still be there when they can come back.” The foundation’s mandate is to fund causes that support children, animal welfare, seniors and veterans, and Anderson
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Inside
Around the Point ............................. 13 Church News .................................... 11 Coming Up ....................................... 13 Crossings ............................................ 6 Library.............................................. 15 Opinion ............................................... 4 Sheriffs ............................................. 15 Tides ................................................. 15