'A circus without the monkeys': Busy first day back in business at Coutts border crossing

CALGARY -

The long-awaited reopening of land border crossings drew thousands of Canadians to the Coutts Port of Entry on Monday morning, causing long lines and extended delays.

The land border is only open to fully vaccinated travellers and anyone returning to Canada, must show proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

The rush started early in the morning with some people reportedly waiting in line for more than two hours as early as 6:00 a.m.

"Before we got in line this morning, she didn't have any grey hair!" said one Canadian snowbird while gesturing to his wife as the two waited to cross into the U.S.

As the morning went on, the wait to head down south grew, and by 11 a.m., snowbirds, tourists, and commercial truck drivers alike were reporting wait times of over three and a half hours.

At its peak, the lineup of vehicles stretched for at least three kilometres ahead of the Village of Coutts.

"We knew it was going to be a lineup, so we were patient, but after three hours, your patience starts to run a little thin," said another snowbird who was heading to Arizona for the winter.

"That said, it's been good. We're just so excited about getting across the border. We just can't wait to escape the cold!"

Roughly 250 people live in the Coutts, but over the weekend, the village's mayor Jim Willett said the population had ballooned by about three times what the community is used to.

The rush started early in the morning with some people reportedly waiting in line for more than two hours as early as 6:00 a.m.

Parked cars stretched along virtually every road in the village as people wanted to secure their spot to be among the first in line to cross into the U.S.

"It was a circus without the monkeys. It started early, and it got worse and worse," he said.

"Those people that forecasted that we wouldn't have many people heading south missed their forecast by quite a bit."

Surrounding communities have also noticed an increase in traffic in the days leading up to the border reopening.

In Milk River, the Eight Flags Campground was inundated with bookings in what has been the busiest November to-date.

With all of the regular spots full, the campground resorted to makeshift parking stalls to meet the overwhelming demand of people eager to be first across the border.

However, it seemed as though most travellers had the same idea in terms of hitting the road early as the lineup started to die down at around 3 p.m. Monday afternoon.

Canada-U.S. land border crossings had been closed for non-essential travel since March 2020.