Many independently-owned duty free stores at Canadian land borders are “just weeks away from closing for good,” a group of shop owners and operators said, as the sharp decline in cross-border travel takes its toll on their businesses.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, the Frontier Duty Free Association along with mayors of some border cities across Canada, called on the federal government to help prevent the permanent closure of Canada’s land duty-free stores.

They said the sharp drop in trans-border travel due to the tariff war with the U.S. has caused revenue losses of 60 to 80 per cent at many stores.

“Our stores are an integral part of Canada’s tourism fabric and border community economies, sustaining jobs and supporting the towns we call home,” said the group’s pr

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