Quebec town says U.S. is limiting Canadian access to border-straddling library

By Canadian Press on March 21, 2025.

STANSTEAD, Que. — The town of Stanstead, Que., says U.S. authorities have unilaterally decided to close the main Canadian entrance to the Victorian-style library that straddles the border between the two countries.

For decades, Canadian visitors to the town have been able to walk across the border into Derby Line, Vt., to enter the Haskell Free Library and Opera House without having to cross a checkpoint or show a passport.

Stanstead says in a news release that the new rules compromise Canadians’ access to the famous international meeting point and weaken the spirit of cross-border collaboration that defines it.

The library says on its Facebook page that Canadian patrons must now show a library card to access the building from the U.S. side.

It adds that it has opened a door on the Canadian side for visitors as well as those who have forgotten their cards.

Library and town officials will hold a news conference alongside Liberal MP Marie-Claude Bibeau later today to address the changes.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2025.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press