(Globe & Mail)
It
could be a scene from a country song: Tractor-trailer drivers spending a lonely weekend at the roadside, kept from their last stops on Friday by a government policy.
This scene is being played out most weekends
at Buffalo's Peace Bridge to Fort Erie, Ont., because some key U.S. federal inspectors do not work weekends, according to the Ontario Trucking Association. And recent anti-terrorism laws prevent uninspected cargo of
produce or other foods from entering the United States, the association said.
"It's not just a problem for the trucking industry, it's a problem for U.S. importers and Canadian exporters," said Stephen
Laskowski assistant vice-president of the Ontario Trucking Association.
"Everyone understands budgetary concerns. But what we're talking about is a lack of one or two people shutting down a port for food
products."
This month, New York Attorney-General Eliot Spitzer stepped in. Mr. Spitzer sent a letter on Feb. 2 to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requesting a weekend shift at the Peace Bridge, as the
FDA does in Detroit and at other northern international bridges. New York business leaders recently complained of the bottleneck to Mr. Spitzer, who has a representative on the board of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public
Bridge Authority.
"There's no business where the expression 'time is money' means more than commercial trucking," Mr. Spitzer said. "The FDA's current hours of operation place the industry and the
state of New York at a competitive disadvantage that could be easily remedied."
FDA spokesman Michael Herndon said on Friday that the agency is preparing a response to Mr. Spitzer.
New York imported
$1.2-billion (U.S.) worth of Canadian food products in 2003, including meat, sugar and vegetables and much of it entered through the Peace Bridge. Commercial traffic on the bridge has increased almost 30 per cent since
1994 and is projected to increase another 33 per cent by 2026.
"The resulting delays are negatively affecting the economy of New York state, and more particularly, business growth and job creation in western
New York," Mr. Spitzer wrote the FDA. "Immediate action is required."
A business lobbying group, the Business Council of New York State, said the current situation can be damaging New York's
business climate.
"The Port of Buffalo sticks out like a sore thumb," Mr. Laskowski said. "We wanted to know why. To date, we're waiting for an answer.
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