Residents worry over border hours between southeast Alaska community, British Columbia town

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Residents in a small southeast Alaska community are worried that overnight closure of the Canada border will have hurt safety and the local economy.

The Canada Border Services Agency says the new hours would be 8 a.m. to midnight daily for the border between Alaska's Hyder and the British Columbia town of Stewart.

Hyder is home to less than 90 people on the southeastern tip of Alaska's panhandle. Stewart is about 2 miles northeast, with a population of about 400.

The Alaska Dispatch News (http://ow.ly/JLQ5c ) reports that Hyder relies on Canada for its area code, electrical services and medical facilities.

Hyder Community Association President Wes Loe likens the closure to "putting a chain across your own driveway."

Border agency spokeswoman Stefanie Wudel says emergency vehicles will continue to have 24-hour access to the roads.

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Information from: Alaska Dispatch News, http://www.adn.com