For more than a century, Canadian visitors to the Haskell Free Library and Opera House in Derby Line were allowed to use the building's main entrance, which sits on the U.S. side of the border. That changed in March 2025, when a Trump administration policy ended the practice. Now, a new entrance on the Canadian side has opened.
The library held a ribbon cutting Wednesday for the $700,000 project, half of which was covered by donations. Vermont Treasurer Mike Pieciak noted the library, founded in 1901 as a symbol of friendship between the two countries, offers a chance to build bridges rather than walls.
"I think here in Vermont, we need to do everything we can to show we will continue to endure," Pieciak said. "The relationship between Vermont and Quebec will continue to endure and... we choose Quebec and Canada to be our friends." He added that more than $3 billion in trade and hundreds of millions in tourism dollars last year underscore the economic ties.
Board President Sylvie Bourdreau said attendance actually increased last year despite the policy change, driven by publicity and community support.
Originally reported by MyChamplainValley.
Photo: Thomsonmg2000 (Wikimedia Commons, CC0). Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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