Those opposed to Ottawa's plan to close the Franklin border crossing gathered Wednesday to explain why they think the move would be disastrous for the local economy, and in particular apple orchards in the region.

Residents have started a petition and hope to convince Ottawa to reverse the decision.

In July, the town received a letter from the Canadian Border Security Agency stating that next spring, the Franklin border will be closed along with the Jamieson's Line station south of Huntingdon.

Move would throttle town's businesses

Up to 70 per cent of the apple orchards in the region are in the town of Franklin, and money poured into advertising the town and its agriculture would become futile if the border is closed, said Franklin Mayor Suzanne Yelle-Blair.

"My objective was to develop this place, have more business, and open doors because we weren't getting anywhere. I find now we're doing very, very well," she said.

Ottawa said the closure is due to budget cuts, an average of only 56 visits to the Franklin border crossing per day and another border crossing nearby.

"They're telling me it's not a big deal. I just have to drive 16 more kilometres to go around by somewhere else and I don't really agree," said Michael Leahy of Les Vergers Leahy Inc. apple orchard.

Leahy said the numbers don't reflect how vital the crossing is and he estimates he could lose about $50,000 per year by diverting his drivers and products.

"We use that point 50 or 70 times a week," he said.

U.S.A. building larger office

The petition is drumming up support from the Customs and Immigration Union concerned about national security.

"We are not only looking at the number of passages, we are also looking at what is not passing by because there is a custom office. Each place that has a custom office means less criminality," said Claude Bisson of the CIU.

The U.S. border is also displeased with the decision, said Bisson.

"We have to harmonize with U.S. customs," he said. "They're building a bigger office right near Franklin Centre and us? We're closing."