Alberta school board suspends U.S. trips as travel numbers crater

If you’re headed to the United States, you may not have to wait very long in line.

New figures from Statistics Canada show a 13 per cent decline last month in air travel between canada and the U.S. by car; that number is down 30 per cent.

Some travellers in Edmonton are upset about President Donald Trump’s tariffs and threats of annexing Canada.

You feel very offended by the way the States have treated us, but for us, we have to go right now,” said Zenia Narang, who is headed to Hawaii.

One couple tried to cancel their anniversary trip from Edmonton to Vegas because of Trump, but it’s non-refundable.

“Basically, a dictatorship he’s making the United States. Not a fan of that,” said Yves Cloutier, who is headed to Vegas.

Kelle Cloutier adding, “We won’t be going to L.A. again soon, or to Seattle soon. This is it for a couple of years.”

Travel experts say they have noticed fewer people going to the States, pointing out a low Canadian dollar in recent months is also a factor. 

“I think Albertans are seeing this as an opportunity to explore Canada and their own backyard. We are seeing a lot of people wanting to travel domestically, of course, Europe is still really popular right now, especially for the spring, summer, and fall,” said Kelsey Baron, with AMA Travel.

St. Albert Public School trustees are going as far as suspending all school trips to the United States until further notice.

“It’s certainly not a political decision, because we are a policy-driven organization,” said John Allen, a board chair for St. Albert Public Schools

Allen believes Trump’s policies are at odds with Alberta’s, and he believes other school authorities may follow.

“Policy A1-10 is our safe, welcoming, caring, and exclusive policy, which is mandated by the alberta government in the Education Act,” said Allen.

Still, some in Alberta have no issue with what Trump is doing or saying.

“He’s not threatening anything. He says we would be better off as the 51st state. He didn’t say he’s taking us over. Don’t put words in his mouth,” said an Edmontonian.

Jonathan Jespersen, an Albertan, adds, “I almost would rather be an American right now. I’d rather be down in the States than here, with the political climate, to be totally honest.”

According to U.S. border data, Canadian trips to the U.S. Fell by 900,000 in March.