The Peru Gazette

Legislation would give Canadian retirees more time to visit, spend money in U.S. 

WASHINGTON—Today, Representative Bill Owens announced he will co-sponsor H.R. 3768, the Promoting Tourism to Enhance Our Economy Act. If passed, the legislation would increase the number of days retired Canadians could spend in the United States each year.

“Canadian tourists and part-time residents are vital parts of New York’s economy,” Representative Bill Owens said. “Extending the number of days Canadians can spend in the U.S. could mean more Canadian visits in the summer, more spending in local economies, and, most importantly, more local jobs.” 

The legislation would extend the amount of time retired Canadians older than 55 years could stay in the country from 182 days within a 12 month period to 240 days.

A recent article in  USA Today explained how Northern New York stands to gain if the legislation passes. According to the article, Canadians who live near the U.S.-Canadian border often exhaust their current allotment of 182 days during winter stays in southern U.S. states including Florida and Texas. That means they cannot cross the border again for short trips to New York and other northern states in the summer months. Extending the amount of time Canadians can stay to 240 days allows retirees to spend a full winter in the South and then make short trips across the border in the summer, where they spend money on things like hotel rooms, rounds of golf, goods in local shops and visits to other tourist destinations.

“Anything that increases the time that our Canadian friends can be in the U.S. is clearly to our benefit,” Garry Douglas, President of the North Country Chamber of Commerce said. “This would eliminate impediments to additional back-and-forth visits to the North Country for all of those snowbirds going south in the winter. And, of course, we’re also increasingly servicing this back-and-forth travel via Plattsburgh International Airport. This just makes sense and is a positive additional step toward further encouraging cross border travel and commerce, the single greatest force in the current and future economy of the North Country.”

New York is a top destination for Canadians visiting the United States. In 2012, Canadians made more than 4.2 million visits to New York and spent more than $1.5 billion. During his time in Congress, Representative Owens has focused on increasing Canadian trade and tourism in the United States. He is the co-chairman of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus. Earlier this month, the House passed an amendment Owens wrote that essentially kills a proposal for a land border crossing fee, which Owens believes would have threatened New York jobs and wasted taxpayer money.