DETROIT, Mar 2: At the US Embassy in Ottawa, a quote from former President Ronald Reagan is inscribed on a wall.
“Let the 5,000-mile border between Canada and the United States stand as a symbol for the future,” Reagan stated when he signed a free trade agreement with Canada in 1988.
“Let it forever be not a point of division but a meeting place between our great and true friends.”
However, a division is emerging. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump is set to implement a 25% tariff on most imported Canadian goods, along with a 10% tariff on Canadian oil and gas. In response, Canada has announced plans to retaliate with a 25% import tax on a variety of American products, including wine, cigarettes, and shotguns.
The tariffs have sparked a mix of emotions along the world’s longest international border, where communities and industries are deeply interconnected. Canadian ranchers depend on American companies for farming equipment and export livestock to US meat processors.
US consumers enjoy millions of gallons of Canadian maple syrup annually. Additionally, many Canadian pets are fed with American-made pet food.
The trade conflict is expected to have widespread repercussions, ranging from price hikes and increased paperwork to longer wait times at the US-Canada border for both people and goods, according to Laurie Trautman, director of the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University.
“These industries on both sides are built on a cross-border relationship, and interruptions will affect both sides,” Trautman noted.
The mere threat of tariffs may have already caused significant disruptions, she added. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has encouraged Canadians to support local businesses and vacation domestically.
The Associated Press sought the opinions of residents and businesses along the border that Reagan promised would remain unencumbered by an “invisible barrier of economic suspicion and fear.” Here’s what they shared:
Skagway, Alaska – Whitehorse, Yukon
During the Klondike gold rush of the late 1890s, people flocked from the bustling town of Skagway, Alaska, to Canada’s Yukon in pursuit of wealth, following trade routes established by Indigenous tribes.
Today, Skagway capitalizes on its rich history by welcoming more than 1 million cruise ship passengers each year to a historic downtown filled with Klondike-themed museums. Yet, with a population of about 1,100, Skagway remains closely connected to Yukon.
Residents of Skagway often travel to Whitehorse, the territorial capital, for a greater selection of groceries, shopping, dental care, veterinary services, and swimming lessons.
The Alaskan city’s port continues to support Yukon’s mining industry and serves as a vital hub for fuel and other essential supplies needed by both communities.
“It’s a special connection,” stated Orion Hanson, a contractor and member of the Skagway Assembly, referring to Whitehorse, located 110 miles (177 kilometers) to the north with a population of 30,000. “It’s really our closest neighbor.”
Hanson expressed concern about how tariffs might affect the cost of building materials like lumber, concrete, and steel. The cost of living in remote areas is already high, and residents in both Whitehorse and Skagway are anxious about the potential impact on community ties and prices.
Norman Holler from Whitehorse remarked that the looming tariffs have created an “uncomfortable feeling and resentment.” If the tariffs come to fruition, Holler mentioned he would likely still visit border towns in Alaska but may avoid other parts of the United States.
“Is it rational? I don’t know, but it satisfies an emotional need not to go,” he shared.
– Becky Bohrer in Juneau, Alaska
Point Roberts, Washington – Delta, British Columbia
At the border between Washington state and British Columbia, the tension surrounding tariffs is palpable in a waterfront community hoping for leniency from Canada.
Point Roberts, a 5-square-mile (13-square-kilometer) US exclave, is only accessible via Canada, which provides essential water and electricity to this unincorporated piece of American territory. This geographical quirk means residents must make a 20-mile detour through Canada to reach mainland Washington.
Local real estate agent Wayne Lyle, who possesses dual US-Canadian citizenship, mentioned that some of Point Roberts’ approximately 1,000 residents are signing a petition asking British Columbia’s premier for a reprieve from any retaliatory tariffs Canada may impose.
“We’re basically connected to Canada. We’re about as Canadian as an American community can be,” Lyle emphasized. “Our uniqueness might help us get a break.”
As president of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce, Lyle stated that it’s too soon to see significant effects, but fears that Canadians might avoid the popular summer getaway out of anger.
“We don’t want Canada to view us negatively,” Lyle pleaded. “Please don’t take it out on us.”
– Sally Ho in Seattle
Billings, Montana – Alberta
The 545-mile (877-kilometer) stretch separating Montana from Canada includes some of the quietest border crossings, with several checkpoints averaging fewer than 50 crossings per day last year.
However, unseen pipelines flow through expansive barley fields, transporting about $5 billion worth of Canadian crude oil and natural gas annually, primarily from Alberta.
These pipelines travel through a crucial geographical point: Montana is the only state whose rivers drain into the Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, and Canada’s Hudson Bay, supplying refineries around Billings.
“Canada is one of our major sources for oil across the United States,” noted Dallas Scholes, government affairs director at Par Pacific, a Houston-based refinery company operating along the Yellowstone River. “If tariffs are imposed on oil and gas, it won’t be good for consumers.”
Given Montana’s vastness and harsh winters, residents consume a significant amount of natural gas, making them the highest energy consumers per capita in the US, according to federal data.
This means a 10% tax on Canadian energy resources would have widespread effects. Farmers in the state, for instance, would be hit particularly hard due to the substantial gasoline required to operate tractors and other equipment, according to Jeffrey Michael, director of the University of Montana’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research.
“It will be painful, but the larger concern for an agricultural producer in Montana is the potential escalation of the trade war, where their products could face reciprocal tariffs,” Michael warned.
– Matthew Brown in Billings, Mont.
Detroit – Windsor, Ontario
The Detroit River separates Windsor, Ontario, from Detroit, with both cities so close that Detroiter’s can smell the drying grain from Windsor’s Hiram Walker distillery while Windsor residents can hear music from Detroit’s outdoor concerts.
Manufacturing strength makes the Ambassador Bridge, a 1.4-mile-long crossing, the busiest international route in North America. Each day, an estimated $323 million worth of goods travel between Windsor and Detroit, the automotive capitals of their respective countries.
The US, Canada, and Mexico have historically functioned as one entity regarding auto manufacturing, noted Pat D’Eramo, CEO of Martinrea, located in Vaughan, Ontario. He cautioned that tariffs could lead to confusion and disruption.
Currently, steel coils arrive at a Michigan plant, are stamped into parts, and then shipped to Martinrea in Canada, where they’re used to create vehicle subassemblies that are sent back to a Detroit automaker.
It remains unclear whether parts that cross the border multiple times would incur dual taxation and how tariffs may affect either suppliers or their customers. There’s also uncertainty surrounding a 25% levy on steel and aluminum that Trump has announced, which is set to take effect on March 12.
D’Eramo understands the desire to bolster US manufacturing, but he argues that the US lacks the infrastructure to produce all the necessary tooling for Martinrea should it need to relocate production. Ultimately, D’Eramo laments that tariffs will divert valuable time, energy, and resources, subsequently inflating vehicle prices.
“We should be focusing on improving efficiency and reducing costs for our customers,” he stated.
– Dee-Ann Durbin in Detroit
Buffalo, New York – Ontario
Buffalo, New York, is known as a beer town and a border town, which supports a symbiotic relationship.
Many of the craft breweries in Western New York rely on Canada for aluminum cans and a significant portion of the malted grains used in their beers. Canadians routinely traverse one of the four international bridges to engage in shopping, sporting events, and enjoying Buffalo’s brews.
However, business owners fear that tariffs on Canada and aluminum could diminish this interaction. Trump’s repeated insinuations about making Canada the 51st US state have already upset many Canadians—so much so that Buffalo’s tourism agency paused a campaign targeting Canadian visitors in light of negative sentiments.
“Naturally, if they hold grudges and boo the national anthem during games, it’s not beneficial for them to visit our city and enjoy our beer,” remarked Jeff Ware, president of Resurgence Brewing Co.
Ware’s brewery resides just about 4 miles from the Peace Bridge border crossing, where in the past year, approximately 1.8 million vehicles and buses and 518,000 commercial trucks crossed from Ontario into Buffalo.
Now is a challenging time to alienate customers, be they Canadian or American. The beginning of the year is already tough for breweries in Buffalo due to snowy weather. Adding a 25% tariff would only exacerbate these challenges. Ware notes that about 80% of the base malt used in his specialty beers comes from Canada.
“Labour costs are rising, energy prices are climbing, and all our raw materials are becoming more expensive,” he explained. “It’s a struggle compounded by a thousand minor issues.”
– Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, N.Y.
Cutler, Maine – New Brunswick
Commercial lobsterman John Drouin has spent over 45 years fishing for Maine’s iconic seafood, often in contentious waters known as the “grey zone,” which straddles the US-Canada border.
Though the relationship between American and Canadian fishermen can sometimes be tense, Drouin emphasized that harvesters on either side rely on one another. Maine is known for catching millions of pounds of lobsters each year, but a significant portion of the processing capacity for these valuable crustaceans resides in Canada.
If Trump follows through on the proposed tariffs next week, lobsters shipped to Canada for processing would incur customs duties upon their return to the US for sale.
Drouin is worried about the potential repercussions for the lobster industry if the trade dispute continues and Canada enacts retaliation on lobsters.
“As prices increase for consumers, there will come a point when it becomes too expensive for them to buy,” Drouin warned.
Drouin, who operates out of Cutler, Maine, sees Grand Manan Island, part of New Brunswick, while out at sea. He described his economic and geographic position as “right on the Canadian border.”
Having been a supporter of Trump in his first term, Drouin expressed dissatisfaction with recent policies, voicing concern that his home state could suffer from tariffs if the president does not consider industries like his.
“The rhetoric is excessive,” Drouin stated.
– Patrick Whittle in Scarborough, Maine (AP)
