One foot in Canada, one in the US: border parcel business thrives during pandemic | AFP

[@iainstanley2228]

What a wonderful man, made life livable for so many in such a difficult time

[@juliansmith4295]

Indeed. How can people survive without American shoes?

[@GodsStrongestBussyBreeder]

@@juliansmith4295 you don’t need fun things in your life? You should consider getting a hobby, life’s actually quite enjoyable when you have a few.

[@juliansmith4295]

@@GodsStrongestBussyBreeder Sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about.

[@stasi0238]

​@@juliansmith4295yes we know.

[@Ya-average-11B]

This guy is awesome! He has to be a local legend.

[@vascolanasungaro3248]

That’s what I call an everyday international traveller.

[@baby_joe]

Ooh, you're witty

[@HingleMacCringleberry]

Since this aired Canada moved in a border patrol agent and now he keeps his fridge on the same side he smokes cannabis.

[@MrMariovideo13]

@@HingleMacCringleberry for real

[@ajorbista]

Sadly he has passed away already. Business is still open. Facebook updates shortly after his death was them looking for a new owner, so it’s either there’s new ownership or the children are now managing the business.

[@Channu_08]

Which language is he speaking?

[@Wild-Eye]

@@Channu_08French

[@ironhell813]

Bastards can keep it, probably want a fortune for junk.

[@aplante]

The children have taken over the business.

[@ironhell813]

No one cares.

[@iladash5457]

The gentleman is full of life, hope he is taken care of in this severe cold.

[@koro_kokoro]

In Canada you get used to it

[@somethingsomething404]

@@koro_kokorobut what if he’s on the us side of his house?

[@ianizer1]

@@somethingsomething404 lol

[@TroyQwert]

​@@somethingsomething404, he freezes on American side more, when he is on Canadian side - We Are North! Also, keep in mind: American side is on the extreme American north. Canadian side though is south of the border, it is warmer on the south side. 😊

[@baby_joe]

It's funny you should say he's full of life... because he recently died.

[@John315]

"I go to United States" and "i go to Canada" sound like a whole trip for some, but not for this man. For this man, they both are a step away!

[@MuzicTunes-lk6np]

So he doesn't need a passport, all he has to do is go from one room to another inside his home.

[@Baker_king12]

Yeah so when you cross the border normally you have to declare yourself to customs but because his house is on both sides they made an exemption where he only has to declare himself if he leaves his house. It’s pretty typical actually in towns that are on the border for certain people to basically be exempt from some of the border crossing requirements as long as they’re not doing anything unusual. For example, there’s a ton of farmland on the border near Sweet Grass, Montana, where the farmers will have their fields go across the border and they need to plow or harvest or whatever and they just do what they need to do and don’t have to deal with his many customs issues so long as they don’t, leave their property. Basically they are free to traverse the border as long as within their own private property boundaries. But if they leave their property, they need to declare if they went to the other side, so for example, if the farmer were to enter the American side and his house was on the American side and he came back out. It would be fine, but if he went and plowed his and crossed over the Canadian side on his way out of his property he would need to declare that he went to Canada to US customs. This guy can cross freely but has to declare that he had crossed into one or the other when he leaves his house. But his bonnets is that his customers come into his house stay on the side they came in and leave without ever actually entering the U.S so they dont have to declare themselves to customs.

[@arsalankhan8751]

@@Baker_king12Very informative and helpful. Thank you sir.

[@ashwinreddy6702]

He’s likely a dual citizen

[@ndjibukabengele973]

@@ashwinreddy6702His house had dual citizenship lol.

[@FantomMisfit]

Only downside I could see is that he has to pay property tax twice

[@link8068]

There's a library in Vermont where you can do the same thing this guy does

[@eec589]

That's on my bucket list.

[@marieked]

Yes that’s the Haskell free library and opera house. It’s in Standead Qc and Derby Vt. When I was a kid we had a country house in standead and would regularly cross the border to go to the beach, get groceries… it’s a really neat place. You can stand in the middle of the road and straddle USA-Canada (the street is called Canusa) just don’t stay too long bc border control is watching lol

[@jimf1964]

There’s a whole town that sits on the border.

[@svitozar8618]

-“where do we sleep today honey, Canada or USA” -“Hmmmm, let’s sleep in Canada today”😂

[@radanju3]

I'll sleep on both at the same time.

[@martinp.249]

After a disagreement: " You're sleeping outside the country tonight "

[@alessandroditerlizzi569]

I would try to sleep on both xD

[@SharonBrown-yn6fz]

@@martinp.249haaaaaa.

[@jaredharris1970]

I find that cool lol go to bed in Canada and eat breakfast in USA lol

[@Bobaklives]

The old man passed away but HalfWay House Freight Forwarding is still there in Dundee, Quebec/NY.

[@Flyingcanadiansquirrel]

A true gentleman

[@Incognito-fe8cw]

I'm surprized gov't didn't assign a customs agent to live in your house !

[@volcom05345]

Thats what I was thinking haha

[@Abdega]

They probably hired him as a customs agent at some point

[@bobmazzi7435]

Don't give either government ideas.

[@mayflowerkid4422]

neighbor is undercover border patrol customs dude

[@Michelle_Schu-blacka]

He literally has to go into another country to get into his fridge and by the looks of it, depending on where the item is in his fridge, he will have to transport his dinner across the border.

[@ThePieMaster219]

Imagine if he was subject to every customs measures every time he did that, making a ham sandwich would be a nightmare

[@missn2021]

He is just darling and so energetic.

[@mitchellyardanoff4666]

One side is Upstate New York and the other is Down Province Quebec.

[@sdsmt99]

If only they explained that in the video. I thought he must have a house in Alberta and another in Oklahoma and he was driving a golf cart between them.

[@pistolpete8231]

​@@sdsmt99 You clearly did not watch the video. Or were you drunk? It clearly explains one side is in upstate NY, the other is in Dundee Quebec.

[@Tickleyourpickle420]

​@@pistolpete8231you must be drunk to have missed the sarcasm in his post

[@1KingD]

​@@Tickleyourpickle420 You must be drunk to not realize this is the World Wide Web & not everyone gets American sarcasm 🙄

[@Tickleyourpickle420]

@@1KingD You must be drunk 🥴

[@djftremblay5895]

I love their services, very friendly. Merci beaucoup!

[@illiniwood]

I'd have a car on each side of the house properly registered to each country. I'd be taking full advantage of such an opportunity.

[@sandasturner9529]

This guy has dual citizenship whether he likes it or not.

[@CookieFridays]

That’s actually very lucky, I would definitely take advantage of ordering items from companies that ship to the USA and not Canada if I lived there

[@timliscum2861]

There a bar there in Dundee called the Halfway House... been there many times, half in Ca and half is US.. back in the 80s you just needed a drivers license to cross

[@aplante]

It's actually the same place. The bar closed in 1990. Mr Patenaude was mayor of Dundee for a while. He opened the package receiving business in the late 2000s.

[@johnwang9914]

It wasn't just during the 80's, during all the 90's you only needed a driver's license to cross, it was only a few years after 911 when passports were required and it was the US that required passports first so for a while, there was the strange situation where an American could enter Canada with their driver's license but the US was about to change to returning to the US requiring a passport, they would still get in eventually but with a lot of hassle as proof of citizenship would also be needed and really probably family members taking responsibility. I remember a girl I knew in Texas calling me while I was in Canada for the New Year and she asked to visit me, I remember telling her that though Canada only required a driver's license for entry, the US would require a passport though as long as you had proof of citizenship, you would still be legally entitled to enter just with a lot of hassle, I even wound up sending her a digital ticket on my frequent flyer points so she would only need her id to claim the ticket as I had plenty of points to burn but she never came. Later when I returned to Texas, I found out that she had been pulled over by the police and for some reason panicked and ran off while the police had her drivers license so she was calling out of emotional distress and was just wishing for me to swoop her out of the country. That girl wasn't real good at communicating or making good decisions, she did look like Alicia Silverstone though. She was too afraid to just go to the police to sort it out and wound up getting a replacement driver's license from the DMV, I'm surprised the police didn't follow up on that but hey it was Texas and no, turned out she didn't even have a passport.

[@DTPGMedia585]

All i need now is a NYS drivers Enhanced license and i can do the same thing to.

[@nyancat8828]

but California is un the US! for now

[@timliscum2861]

@@nyancat8828 Canada not California lol

[@scottythegreat1]

There are several places like this along the US - Canada border..

[@juliansmith4295]

Are there? Standstead and Dundee are the only ones I know of.

[@crobinson2624]

This really does illustrate how borders are really just invisible lines drawn in the sand.

[@I-talk-about-tough-topics]

Yeah, borders are stupid and the cause of so many problems (such as in Africa where people and their herds used to move with nature and allow grass etc to keep growing instead of staying in one place and ending up with nothing but soil).

[@Wasnt-1]

you can travel 2 different countries just by walking on you own house that's an amazing oncept

[@SmallSpoonBrigade]

Conceptually, it's kind of cool, but it's the result of property that pre-exists the current border location and can be a bit of a headache in terms of enforcement. Usually that property would be bought off or the border moved to one side or the other. Or a giant fence built through the middle.

[@jonesmorales-tu6kq]

Pablo escobar would have loved this

[@MauriceGaudreau-c9j]

Continuez votre bon travail mon cher Monsieur. Vous êtes très utile. J'aimerais bien savoir dans quel vilage vous êtes pour que je puisse vous rendre visite.

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

Try watching the video encore and this time WATCH it with both your eyes, both your ears and also your brain! 0:32 if that's too much for you.

[@MauriceGaudreau-c9j]

Merci ! J'avais pas lu toute la phrase jusqu'au dernier mot. Dundee.@@JP_TaVeryMuch

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

@@MauriceGaudreau-c9j Glad to be of assistance. Good on ya for not being cross with me for my rather curt comment!

[@ravenzyblack]

He passed away.

[@JP_TaVeryMuch]

@@ravenzyblack A sad piece of news, nevertheless, thank you for it. Another character lost to us. May God rest his soul.

[@tjwash2]

With the way things are going in the USA he'd better build a border wall around that to keep us out.

[@jf8564]

Lol. Knock knock. Search warrant. Oh ok. Let me just walk to the kitchen. Now what fellas.

[@JackJackson1133]

He needs to put everything on wheels, so while the police is busy busting his door open, he can push everything across "the border".

[@chrisnguyen513]

The extradition hearing would be hilarious!

[@trevorgwelch7412]

Do you have to go through customs to get to the bathroom ?

[@TripReviews]

“Anything to declare?” “Nope! Left it in the toilet!”

[@markylon]

shows the utter unnecessary bureaucracy we face every day. How much money is wasted

[@gourmetgroceries417]

So if there is no duty/import, how does the Canadian government make sure nothing illegal is brought in?

[@bluescreen3914]

He explains it in the video. Canadian customer picks up his package without having to leave Canada, then goes to Canadian Customs. It's still the customer's responsibility to report to customs. This is mainly for packages where the company does not do any international shipping. It gets shipped to a US Address, just leaves out the other side of the building in Canada

[@razeka62]

Is the business paying business taxes and filing for both countries?

[@I-talk-about-tough-topics]

Likely, as two separate businesses but only if he's not a sole trader because then the tax treaty would apply to avoid double taxes. Filing for both countries? Yes, of course. (I've had this type of situation.)

[@korytoombs886]

I would assume his income for who he sells to can be separated into US / Canada customers.

[@Eszra]

What a fun gentleman.

[@Dazdigo]

I can see this delivery house being illegal since it is avoiding customs fees.

[@bobshowup2501]

I'd like to know does he pay land and school taxes to both countries or whatever the equivalent is in Canada?

[@mikecrystalrobert7898]

So does this mean u pay double the taxes?

[@RoseNZieg]

I like to think he only pays half the taxes to each country.

[@straightpipediesel]

He'd pay the higher of the taxes, which is generally Canadian. US will take their cut of US-sourced income, then Canada will take their full cut minus how much he paid to the US.

[@benguentherjr.rempel1096]

That is awesome!! How did the governments on both sides manage to draw the border in the middle of his house?? Looks like he is incredibly busy!

[@juliansmith4295]

The border was drawn in the time when travel was mostly by horse or boat. Governments looked at a map and drew a line, unaware that there was a town that had popped up since the map was made.

[@willc5723]

He probably bought this house a long time ago so back then they probably didn't notice. Now it would be a big issue

[@hannahyoung6762]

a lot of these places are family owned and can't be sold anymore. once the family dies out the 2 countries become default owners (torn down/historical landmarks) depending on the status of the building

[@AnnaBrown-h4e]

I had heard of the town before and thought it was so funny, 😊. I would love to go there. I had not heard that they have guards or a guard house .

[@pike227]

how many times bro went to America and canada

[@christophermccutcheon2143]

Honestly it looks like the only thing keeping that house together is this man's stubborn will to not move

[@hannahyoung6762]

the majority of the building that remain (there's only about 8 left) that cross the border are historical landmarks. once the owners sell, they default to the US/Candian governments to maintain until a decision is made for their future, cause they can't be torn down without the other side agreeing

[@erikalatanya8478]

This is the coolest house ever.

[@SharonBrown-yn6fz]

Wow I never knew you could live on the border like this. Wow. He speaks French so I am sure he is Canadian. Nice man

[@sray5415]

I’m against open borders but I think the trade restrictions on the items that would not impact farming, ranching, public health, and endangered wildlife, should be reduced.

[@tobyzilla]

Meaning you are against freedom of movement wow

[@JohnWilson-hc5wq]

@@tobyzilla That is largely the current position of the two countries: Freedom of movement for goods (until 20 Jan. 2025), but not for people. Basically half a Schengen zone.

[@kylestokes4501]

I bet that man cook some awesome food!

[@UncleBuddy1994]

First two seconds: I live in my house Me: Ya I hope so

[@JohnSanJuan-zp1ed]

Right in Vermont and Quebec.

[@bergenbergen-g8v]

I would love to buy that house. So cool

[@leaderofmine6293]

how ever this is the house with a Border with New York States and Quebec

[@joedellinger9437]

There is also Estcourt Station, Maine, with several houses straddling the border.

[@juliansmith4295]

The border was drawn in the time when travel was mostly by horse or boat. Governments looked at a map and drew a line, unaware that there was a town that had popped up since the map was made.

[@JohnWilson-hc5wq]

@@juliansmith4295 Also, crossing the border wasn't a big deal before about 1920.

[@joefroelich4934]

If he has one door in Canada and one door in the US. Will he still have to go thru border patrol when he leaves his house. He has an address in both countries. Which means he lives in both. So is he exempt from the border laws.

[@Born_Stellar]

so we're gonna ignore the fact he's got a business who's entire purpose is tax dodging? not saying i disapprove, just wish I could get american shipping!

[@CynthiaSchropferLeask]

Bless him! 🙏💜

[@debrarouselle9761]

We have a bar near Dundee half in USA half in Canada; there is a line down the floor to separate the countries.

[@TripReviews]

Dundee where😊?

[@hockeyiscanada]

Do you get double citoyenship with that house ?

[@hoboonwheels9289]

A coworker was born in a house straddling the border in Ontario, his front door was in Canada so hes Canadian😂

[@amandacaesar880]

He’s cute bless his heart ❤😊

[@shanehiggins4983]

Bro wants to get back to watching stories and price is right. Can't blame him

[@dawnback5333]

@miamaples why dont you ship your packages to here?

[@MisatoBestWoman]

This is so fascinating I hope this man is doing well in 2024!!! 🙏🏻

[@aaggroberlin19]

According to another comment 6 months ago: He passed away.

[@crisc9280]

Unfortunately black face Trudeau would probably love to quarantine you but can't. This man is performing a great service for Canadians.

[@apurbamallick6633]

Is he allowed to do that? I mean sending many products from one country to another without even sequrity check? I'm just curious to know.

[@korytoombs886]

I think the people getting the stuff need to go through customs afterwards?

[@straightpipediesel]

He's a registered freight forwarder. He looks at the goods, does the paperwork and sends them to Customs who gives approval. If taxes are due, he pays customs then collects the money from the customer when they pick up the item. USMCA (formerly NAFTA) lets most things through under ~$100 without taxes.

[@apurbamallick6633]

@@straightpipediesel gotcha, thanks for letting me know.

[@SeanKula]

Remind me of a time when I played 1602 ad with my brother using Lan and we both had a settlement on the same island our cities eventually grew to the point where they were touching and there was one house that was in both of our territories so he was getting taxed double LOL

[@thestone30080]

He has dual citizenship 🇺🇸🇨🇦

[@ericp0012]

It seems that dual citizenship is the new citizenship.

[@ndjibukabengele973]

His house does lol.

[@firefly9838]

But does he abide US law or Canadian law?

[@unglaubichuberlieber8048]

GREAT !!! PAYING TAXES TO BOTH SIDES...true patriot aus quebec

[@BabyBugBug]

As a French speaker, I’m always amused by Québécois French. Oh my goodness, the accent is thick. 😅

[@christinaford1801]

Why would a structure be built purposely on a border? It should have been one side of the other as it would seem that would eliminate a lot of these issues.

[@JR9979]

The building was built before the line was drawn. When the line was drawn there were no restrictions or identification to cross between countries so it was a non issue...In our current times it is a huge deal.

[@JohnWilson-hc5wq]

It was built when the border didn't really matter that much. Until Prohibition, there weren't any restrictions on crossing.

[@I-talk-about-tough-topics]

Side panel: This guy would probably be locked up by the thought police if this were in the Netherlands. After all: "How dare he live his life in his own way?" 😂 😢

[@donquijote7463]

IT'S NOT A PROBLEM FOR BEING DEPORTED.

[@baviation1872]

That’s my dream to live in a house like that lol

[@maxsoon1097]

Reminds of of the borders between Holland and Belgium. The. Buildings of each sides are near to each others even the restaurants just go thru the borders lines. Haha

[@NaeDaNicest]

I love stories like this so interesting

[@aSome1]

"I need to go to the bathroom" "Ok, do you have a visa??"

[@OmniFilm-dk8ox]

I prefer Roxam Road...i get the bellhop service included for free

[@cowboy_broke999]

You have to go to Canadian customs even if just picking up a package that was shipped to you?

[@tsujimasen]

How else would you pay the duties for importing packages from another country?

[@heriport6654]

My guy loves living on the edge haha

[@raea3588]

When necessity certainly becomes the mother of invention! And I hope this gentleman receives frequent... walking miles 😉

[@franzjosephaque2066]

Crossing a country boarder with everyday international on 2 countries.

[@tommygun80127]

Be glad you're technically Canadian my friend.

[@TheWiseKingMan]

That’s awesome. Imagine how much he’d make accepting packages for Canadians/US and charge them for it🤣🤣🤣.

[@ericp0012]

It’s the same thing in Belgium and The Netherlands.

[@juliansmith4295]

Not exactly. You don't need to go through customs between Belgium and The Netherlands.

[@ctjk1982]

Half-way house. Enough said. No words. No jokes I can think of. Finally at a loss of words to think about on this one.

[@josefmazzeo6628]

So you need a passport just to go from the living room to the bathroom. 🤪

[@blessingolaleye3775]

Is he an American or a Canadian citizen? Or both?

[@Broadshore]

IDK why. But that's pretty rad!

[@cripto136]

And this is why we should remove that border and do it like in Europe.

[@kittenlovesappleseeds5592]

Some random politician yapping about national security the random dude at the border: my actions are beyond your power

[@junkfoodguy]

Bush was ok right

[@awaisqadeer2066]

Absolute legend as he Dine in America, but when nature calls, he answers it in Canada 😂

[@RiceDriedger]

Probably not something I’d be advertising on youtube

[@Listersmate2]

I wonder what side his bathroom is on? 😮

[@markrussel-dy7jc]

Where are you sleeping tonight? Hmm half in canada and half usa every night.

[@missladyanonymity]

The town ran him into the ground. He didn't want that life. Poor guy.

[@canadianmike711]

What a dual citizen

[@Maddie2u]

I would live this.

[@Zombified2012]

such a beautiful fenty crossing

[@Drmcclung]

I really can't believe, considering how shitty the US has been to Canadians in recent years that the US doesn't intervene and say "nope, can't do that" like we have been everything else

[@JoeFabry-x3s]

Unique 👍

[@RickWeberEcon]

This guy is (was) great. Borders are not.

[@juliansmith4295]

Borders are excellent.

[@tobyzilla]

​@juliansmith4295 yes if you like feeling trapped

[@juliansmith4295]

@@tobyzilla The only two reasons to feel trapped by borders: 1. You're a felon, and not allowed to cross borders. 2. You live in North Korea.

[@travelandeats8518]

I have been to Canada and Montreal Quebec and NY lol. Como sava

[@abboyraju4131]

For fitness level rating I will give him 10/10

[@jimf1964]

I wonder how many people actually go to customs after they pick up?

[@alanmeyers3957]

I’ve actually ordered stuff that went through there.

[@alanmeyers3957]

And I’ll add, there’s an area in the Midwest where they take stuff ordered in Canada just north of the border and it’s shipped from the US.