Behind the booming, multi-million-dollar business of Roxham Road

It’s an industry worth hundreds of millions, or more, with the cost only growing for Canadian taxpayers

Published Mar 13, 2023  •  Last updated Mar 13, 2023  •  7 minute read

Refugees who crossed the U.S.-Canada border at Lacolle on Feb. 23, were processed and moved by bus to their next stop. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. — Around 3 p.m. on a February Friday, in the middle of a snowstorm, a Greyhound bus slowly turns into a combination gas station and Dunkin’ Donuts on the outskirts of Plattsburg, N.Y., a small city roughly 30 minutes from the U.S.-Canada border.

The bus, originating from New York City, is tailed closely by a handful of taxi vans, some painted in trademark taxi yellow with “Cornwall, Roxham, and LaColle borders” boldly emblazoned on each side. They race into the parking lot, and their drivers jump out and rush towards the bus doors.

As soon as the first passengers step off the bus, the cab drivers start jostling for their attention.

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