DERBY LINE — “Even if our two countries are now like an old married couple who sleep in separate rooms and use separate doors, no matter which door we use it is inside that we will as always meet in friendship.”
With that, Jean-René Dufort, the Radio-Canada “Infoman” host who introduced himself to the crowd as “the low-budget version of Jon Stewart in Canada,” set the tone Wednesday as the Haskell Free Library and Opera House cut the ribbon on its new Canadian entrance.
The “Canadian Door,” a project just over a year in the making, opens onto the Stanstead side of the building on Caswell Avenue and restores the barrier-free access Canadians lost last year.
The ceremony drew patrons, donors, volunteers and officials from both sides of the line, with board president Sylvie Boudreau and Stanstead Mayor Jody Stone cutting the ribbon together. Boudreau told the crowd that even with two entrances now, the people inside remain united by a shared love of books, arts and culture, with no divisions among them.
Regulars at the Haskell know how the building works. For generations everyone came and went through that Derby Line door without a second thought. That ended last year, when the Trump administration closed the main entrance to Canadians, with U.S. Customs and Border Protection citing a rise in illicit activity along the sidewalk beside the library.
Since October, Canadians wanting to use the front door have had to report to a port of entry and clear customs, while a temporary entrance on the Stanstead side carried them through the construction.
Vermont state Treasurer Mike Pieciak told the gathering the change was never just logistical, calling it a question of dignity and of treating neighbors as equals in a place built to be shared. Sen. Bernie Sanders, who did not attend, sent a video message praising staff for building a welcoming space at a time when others work to stoke division.
Among those who made the short trip up from the county seat was Newport Mayor Rick Ufford-Chase, who framed the day as a celebration of shared heritage.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of this. It’s a big group of really good representation from both communities on both sides of the border and the City of Newport has been represented today by a bunch of people who came just because they care so much. Nothing could be more important to me in this community than to celebrate the bicultural roots and the traditions that have grounded this community for a long time from both countries,” Ufford-Chase said.
For Stone, the new door was a problem solved and a community moving on.
“We are two communities, it’s because we can’t use the same door. We found a way to make sure that we can inside beat together around a cultural center with books and an opera house. With all of this trouble that we had with the door issue, we found a solution and now we’re moving forward,” he said.
