On June 10, dignitaries and supporters gathered at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House to celebrate the opening of a new entryway on the Canadian side of the building. The library, which sits directly on the United States-Canada border, had allowed free passage for patrons for 125 years until a change in U.S. Department of Homeland Security policy in April 2025 ended that custom.
To restore unfettered access for Canadian citizens, President Sylvie Boudreau and the library's board of directors decided to add a second entrance. The new door, funded through community support, allows Canadian patrons to enter the library without crossing into the United States.
Jody Stone, mayor of Stanstead, Quebec, offered a welcome during the ceremony, which was attended by police from both sides of the border. The library's operations remain otherwise unchanged.
NEK will be looking into the details of the DHS policy change that prompted the new door, and how it has affected border library operations since April 2025.
Originally reported by Newport Daily Express.
Photo: Tara Winstead via Pexels. Photo is illustrative and not from the scene.
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