Could MT Border Towns Offer Canada-Only Discounts?

If there seems to have been fewer Alberta plates rolling into Missoula this summer, it’s not your imagination. A metric ton of Canadians have been avoiding their usual trips to Montana. And now? Border towns all along Montana’s northern edge are essentially standing on their porches and hollering: “Come back, eh! We miss you!”

Canadian tourism to the U.S. dropped hard after Trump imposed new tariffs on Canadian exports earlier this year. That’s left a lot of small towns, especially along the Hi Line, feeling the burn. Eureka, Havre, Glasgow, Whitefish … all the places where visitors who are polite and love denim are usually welcome are now offering deals just for Canadians.

Some places in New York are offering 30% off lodging to Canadians. Imagine buy-one-get-one brews in Havre, and some Whitefish wellness types are throwing in some free lakeside hikes with your hot spring soak. Or maybe Glasgow will be pitching in a free breakfast to sweeten the deal.

Listen, this is not about politics. It’s about tourism dollars. And let’s face it, Canadians are often among our favorite visitors. They’re nice. They tip well. And they apologize even when it’s we who screw up.

So if you’re on any stretch of the Hi Line, take it as your sign to cozy up, and post your little Airbnb in Canadian travel groups. Slap a “Canuck-friendly pricing” sign on your shop window. Include in your fly fishing package a Tim Hortons gift card. Whatever it takes.

Montana’s pretty damn big, the beer’s cold, and the exchange rate isn’t going to fix itself. Let’s make our neighbors have a reason to cross back over and spend a bit of that funny money (with hockey and beavers on it) down here in Montana.