Donald McArthur, Windsor Star

Responsibility for congested border crossings should be decentralized to allow for greater local flexibility and distinct groups of travellers should be handled differently depending on their level of risk, says a report released Monday by a U.S. think-tank.

The report, authored by Chris Sands of the Hudson Institute and commissioned by the Brookings Institution, is critical of the "one-size-fits-all" security approach embraced by the U.S. following the Sept. 11 attacks and urges Washington to treat its border with Canada differently than its border with Mexico.

"The unfortunate reality is that the border today remains a source of considerable user frustration and economic drag," said the report. "Progress requires taking greater account of the variety of ways in which the border is used by different categories of users in different places."

The report also discusses the pivotal role an unfettered border plays in the just-in-time delivery systems of North American manufacturers and suggests enhanced mobility at the border could speed an economic recovery, boosting the automotive sector, in particular.

"A vehicle produced by a U.S. automaker crosses the border seven times on average during its assembly, as the powertrain is attached to the body, seats are installed, and brakes, lights, and other elements are added," said the report.

"At this time of crisis in the auto industry, it is important to minimize the delays and cost involved in moving goods and people across the border."

Sarah Hubbard of the Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce, said the number of people crossing the border has declined along with the economy, with devastating results for some Detroit-area businesses. She lauded the report's emphasis on increased local control of border crossings.

"We very much hope that the leadership in Ottawa and Washington take this to heart and look for ways to implement these recommendations," said Hubbard. "We have a different customer mix on the northern border than we do on the southern border and we have different crossers at various border crossings."

The security apparatus set up by Washington since 2001, which is largely oblivious to local habits and customs, has also contributed to a decline in cross-border tourism and shopping as day travellers opt to stay home rather than endure hassles at the border, says the report.

"Border crossing delays discourage day trips and longer vacations, particularly for families with small children," said the report.

Gordon Orr, managing director of the Windsor convention and visitors bureau, agreed tourists can be put off by the perception there will be delays at the border and that security measures such as new passport rules also dissuade tourists from crossing the border.

"Any time you continue to put up those sorts of flags, it just starts to tell people to look for alternative tourism experiences in their own backyard," he said.

More than $1.5 billion in goods crossed the border every 24 hours in 2008 — more than $1 million worth every minute. The bulk of that trade occurs in Windsor-Detroit corridor in the Great Lakes basin, one of four distinct border gateways identified in the report.

The report also identifies five types of border crossers — commercial, energy, commuters, amateur and illicit — and urges officials to treat each group differently to help promote both security and the freer movement of people and goods.

"Progress toward improving the U.S.-Canadian border has been held back by the misconception that the border is a single and uniform line with problems and opportunities equally distributed along its length," said the report. "In fact, the U.S.-Canadian border is diverse, and requires policy responses to accommodate this diversity."