EDITORIAL: Canadians play key role in economy

A recent story in the Inter Lake highlighted the impact of Canadian spending on our local economy — and how precarious that impact can be, thanks to the exchange rate.

With the Canadian dollar now valued at only 76 percent of a U.S. dollar, there is less incentive for our neighbors to the north to visit the Flathead Valley for shopping visits.

The good news is that we are located in the Flathead Valley, and tourism will always be a strong draw — even if the exchange rate works against us. But local retailers, hotels and other businesses are also stepping up their efforts to entice Canadians with unique promotions and incentives.

As you might expect, so-called medical tourism is not as dependent on the exchange rate. Kalispell Regional Medical Center now has an International Medical Services division that does everything possible to make it easy for Canadians and other foreign visitors to get their surgeries done during their trip to the United States.

As the hospital’s senior executive director Ted Hirsch said, the rapid access to health care in America is a magnet for Canadians, who sometimes have to wait a year or more for elective surgery in their own country.

“It is important enough for them that even if their currency has lost some of its purchasing power here, it can still take too long to see a doctor [in Canada]... Their health system is so dysfunctional at this point.”

No one can predict exactly what the long-term effects of the exchange rate will be, nor when it will once again swing toward favoring the Canadians.

But we all know just how important the Canadian trade has been on the local economy, especially during the downturn we suffered a few years ago. It is important for all of us in the service and retail industries to continue to reach out to the Canadian market, and remind our friends just how much fun they have when they visit Montana.