Windsorites reconsider relationships with Detroit in light of U.S. tariff threats

U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods might be on hold for now, but some Windsor residents say the threat will change their relationship with their neighbours to the south for a long time to come.

Windsorites who are regular visitors to Detroit and the surrounding areas say they will be changing their shopping habits, their travel plans and their business activities and will encourage Americans to come to Canada instead.

One professor at the University of Windsor said she will spend far less time in the U.S. and will buy Canadian products. 

"I go over to the U.S. quite a bit for conferences for work," Amy Fitzgerald said.

"I've reached out to the organizations that put on the conferences that I attend, the academic societies, and asked them if they would consider moving the conferences to Canada given the unjust trade actions."

Avoiding American travel and brands will test her family's resolve, Fitzgerald said, especially given the array of concert tours that come to Detroit and the appeal of Disney parks to her nine-year-old son.

But she said, boycotting the U.S. as much as possible helps combat the feelings of helplessness she feels when faced with a president that is threatening Canada's sovereignty. 

Detroit was 'the best part of Windsor'

One man who came to Windsor from Bangladesh in 2017 said he expects his family's weekly trips to Detroit to slow to a crawl.

"Every time somebody new comes to Windsor [and] would ask me, like, what's the best part of Windsor, I would tell them the best part of Windsor is Detroit," said Ahmed Sayem.

"I went for an NBA game. The ticket cost me 45 bucks to 50 bucks. But if I want to, say, watch the same game in Toronto, it would cost me $200. So I definitely prefer this, but because of this tariff war, I would actually go to Toronto instead."

When it comes to buying Canadian products, he said he wasn't sure how big a deal it would be to try and cut out American goods. But he's seen thousands of people online trading suggestions for alternatives.

"Everybody's talking about it," he said, "where can we go instead of going to McDonald's and what products we can get? … For example, I heard that peanut butter is mostly from America. So we have to look for an alternate brand."

One Windsor man who lives in Michigan with his family but runs a business in Windsor says he's had to stay neutral in the latest dispute.

"I don't like the animosity," said Matthew DeWolfe, the president of BRS Lab Services.

"Especially on social media. You have friends and family that are saying really crazy things. And then, you know, on the opposite side and the American side, they're saying, well, some crazy things."

DeWolfe, a former member of the U.S. military, said he's sad about the situation between Canada and the U.S.

Torn between two countries

"I love my Canadian heritage," he said.

"But I'm also proud [of] the United States too. Being a marine, I swore an oath to the Constitution, but I have the heritage here, so ... getting torn between the two is very difficult, and it's sad."

The owner of WindsorEats says spending time in Detroit has been part of his lifestyle for years, but he's now drawing a line and spending his money at home instead.

And Adriano Cioltoli says that goes for his business too.

WindsorEats typically runs a weekly dive bar tour to Detroit from November to March or April.

The tours stop at three establishments in the area, typically under-the-radar spots that showcase "the heart and soul of what Detroit is," Ciotoli said.

Frequently, they are hole-in-the-wall dive bars that really benefit from the extra 50 patrons. 

But now, Ciotoli said, those tours are off, thanks to the U.S. administration's threats to the Canadian economy.

"It's kind of like when your best friend does something behind your back, and you're feeling a little hurt by it," he said.

"And so, we're taking a step back right now and gaining our composure before we go back to the city of Detroit."

Ciotoli said he's tried doing Windsor dive bar tours before without much success, but the recent popularity of buying Canadian might prompt him to try again.

He said he hopes that the passion for supporting Canadian products and services endures.

"You hope it's not a fleeting moment because it did happen during the pandemic where everyone was like, 'Focus on local,'" he said. 

" And then the moment things opened up and they were able to go elsewhere, [they did]."