Oddly, it was a situation where Americans were heading to Winnipeg to get warm.

Well, not exactly — they were going to the Manitoba capital to buy fur coats, so they could stay warm in the coming winter.

And as of 1986, the prices for fur coats were very competitive when paid for in Canadian dollars, said CBC reporter Sarah Hurman. Fur coats in Winnipeg were priced at half of what they sold for in the United States.

That was good news for local furriers, like Jack Hurtig, whose shop Hurman visited that year.

Cross-border price advantage

Sarah Hurman reported that fur coats were sold in Winnipeg at about half the price that they were offered for sale in the United States. (Midday/CBC Archives)

"Hundreds of Americans buy fur coats from Jack Hurtig every year," Hurman explained in a report that aired on CBC's Midday on Dec. 16, 1986.

Hurtig said he'd had clients come to his shop from as far away as California.

Dr. Harold Bayne of Taylor Ridge, Ill., didn't travel quite so far as that, but he told CBC News the low prices made the long trip worth it.

Furs for 'far less'

Harold and Jean Bayne had travelled from Illinois to shop for a fur coat in Winnipeg. (Midday/CBC Archives)

He had travelled to Winnipeg with his wife, so she could choose a fur coat.

"Just as an example, we've purchased a fur for far less, by American costs in Winnipeg, that will more than pay for the trip to Canada," Bayne said, noting that he'd still save "several thousand dollars" even with those travelling costs factored in.

Hurman said that American customers accounted for "well over $3 million" worth of annual business for Winnipeg-area furriers.