Boulder baffle at the border

There was a recent addition to the landscaping on Church Street in Stanstead beside the Haskell Free Library in the form of a row of large boulders. The small town charm associated with the flower pot border and the harmonious half U.S. half Canadian library and opera house was snuffed out in October of 2017 with the placement of two large signs posted by the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) telling asylum seekers, in very clear language, “Claiming asylum is not a free ticket into Canada”. The U.S. Border Patrol has gone the extra mile to make sure the once invisible border is very clearly marked and defended as of Tuesday morning, when the row of boulders was installed. In both cases, the abrupt maneuvres prompted speculation from locals, having received no clear information from any agencies involved with border security. The Record contacted Librarian Nancy Rumery for details about the new lawn ornaments. On behalf of the Haskell, she declined to comment. The Record contacted CBSA media relations person Dominique McNeeley, and was told the property in question was private and the CBSA had no involvement in the placement of any boulders. He did point out, however, that the ominous signs mounted in October that drew the ire of locals, are scheduled to be scaled down and moved as soon as the ground thaws. See full story in the Friday, April 27th edition of The Record.