April Parkhill had planned to get married more than a year ago. Instead, the 29-year-old Lewiston woman and her Canadian fiancé postponed their wedding three times in hopes the border would reopen.
On Sunday, Parkhill joined Rep. Chris Jacobs and other Western New Yorkers separated from Canadian relatives by the pandemic at a press conference and rally meant to signal that families are losing patience with the repeated border-closure extensions.
Standing in front of the near-empty Lewiston-Queenston Bridge Plaza, Jacobs called on politicians on both sides of the border to make accommodations for cross-national families and property owners. American relatives of Canadian citizens are allowed to Canada, but only if they provide extensive documentation and remain in the country for 15 days – a requirement many say is incompatible with work, school and child care schedules.
