Canadian deputy mayor nails Trump as the cause for $4.5 billion loss in US tourism

Deputy Mayor Greg Grimes hasn't crossed the border from Canada into the U.S. in 18 months and he has no intention to do so any time soon. He's one of many Canadians who want no part of the new America under President Donald Trump.

Journalist Phoebe Wall Howard wrote on Substack that Grimes and his family would cross the border frequently to have dinner, go shopping, visit friends or attend an event. They're not alone.

Wall Howard cited a Forbes magazine report from February that said the loss of tourism from Canada to the U.S. has cost the American economy roughly $4.5 billion. They used data from the U.S. Travel Association and the U.S. Commerce Department's National Travel and Tourism Office.

She pointed to another report by the Wall Street Journal in which Port Huron City Manager James Freed, a conservative Republican, said he thought Canadians were more concerned about the exchange rate, and that's why they weren't coming into the U.S. as much.

Grimes was stunned.

“I’m reading the first half of this news story with comments from (Sarnia) Mayor (Mike) Bradley about how life has changed from our side of the border and, it’s like, how can we make this better and get back to where we were?” Grimes said. “Then I get to comments from Freed and found them very dismissive, that our concerns aren’t valid.”

Those concerns stem from Trumpism.

“The 51st state rhetoric, the ‘we want to take you over’ and recent stuff with the Gordie Howe Bridge. That’s where it hurts me and all Canadians,” he said.

“It’s this fear that we’re foreigners when we’re there, like ICE detention is an actual possibility,” Grimes added.

There's a fear of coming into the U.S. and having their laptops seized by federal agents and not being able to work.

“Now there’s that fear of the unknown. We’ve lost that trusted traveler friendship," said Grimes.

“According to the U.S. Travel Association, Canadian visitors generated approximately 20.4 million visits and roughly $20.5 billion in visitor spending in 2024, supporting about 140,000 American jobs,” Fortune magazine said in its report Friday. “The economic impact of fewer Canadian visitors in 2025 affects mostly border states that depend heavily on people driving across the border for retail, restaurants, casinos and short-stay hotels.”

In a letter to Freed, Grimes conveyed how "surprised and disappointed" he was with Freed's comments blaming everything on the exchange rate.

He conveyed that the "recent actions and rhetoric at the federal level have had on the historically strong relationship between Canadians and Americans, particularly within our border communities. I agree with City of Sarnia Mayor Bradley’s comments regarding the strain being felt, and I am concerned that attributing declining cross-border activity primarily to economic conditions or exchange rates overlooks a significant part of the issue."

He said Canadians feel "unsettled," with the failure of "respect, trust, and the sense of partnership that has traditionally existed between our countries and communities."

Grimes explained that he and his wife are just one couple, but he knows the sentiment is shared by many in his town and beyond.

The letter closed with Grimes telling Freed to look beyond the economics, because rebuilding trust and the relationship will take a lot of work.

The Republican replied only with, “I appreciate your feedback! Hope to have you visit again, soon.”

Grimes saw it as just more dismissiveness.

“It just perpetuates that, sort of, 'Whatever, Canadians.’ We’re reaching out, but we’re not feeling it back. It’s a shame," said Grimes.

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