Fewer Ontarians are heading south of the border, according to new data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that shows land border crossings into America are at their lowest levels since 2020.
Around 1,082,182 million travellers crossed from Ontario into the U.S. by land in March 2025, down from 1,216,404 in March 2024. February saw a similar drop, with 946,527 crossings, compared to 1,070,491 during the same time last year.
There are 14 official land border crossings between Ontario and the States, including major routes like the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor and the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, which normally stay busy all year long.
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However, the recent slowdown comes in part with a broader national trend.
Customs and Border Protection says nearly one million fewer travellers entered the U.S. from Canada overall in March 2025 compared to March 2024.
The data suggests several factors could be contributing to the slowdown — including a weaker Canadian dollar, concerns over rising costs, and unease surrounding the economy and job market.
The decline also comes as political uncertainty leaves potential travellers concerned with new tariffs, the recent cracking down on immigration, and major policy shifts in the coming weeks, months and years.
While cross-border travel spiked at the end of 2024, U.S. data shows that early 2025 marked the third straight month of year-over-year declines.
Meanwhile, Statistics Canada says travel from other international destinations into Canada rose nearly nine per cent — a stark contrast to the sharp drop in U.S.-bound trips.
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