Relations between Canada and the U.S. are at a low point following the collapse of recent trade talks and a flurry of belittling remarks from President Donald Trump.
Here in Arizona, that long-term relationship is not only personal, it’s also business. And the discordant tone between two old friends, neighbors and associates has struck a nerve.
Every year, roughly 1 million Canadians flock to Arizona. Approximately 100,000 of them are here for the winter. And according to census figures, another 40,000 are expats who now live here full time.
Some of them gather weekly at the Arizona Coyotes Curling Club, a curling-only rink in Tempe that’s one of its kind in the state.
Lindsay Estabrooks, who has dual citizenship, has lived here for more than 40 years.
He established the club back in 2003 with some fellow Canadian expats who love to curl. They moved to their current facility in 2014.
Some of his seasonal curlers, though, won’t be back this winter.
“I know some that say, 'yeah, we’re staying away.' And others say, you know, 'I don’t think this is affecting me directly, so I’m not gonna let the situation ruin my enjoyment,'” Estabrooks said.
Especially shocking was hearing Trump mockingly refer to Canada as “the 51st state”.
“Canada and the United States have almost been like family back and forth,” Estabrooks said.
Carl and Caroline Naso — co-founders of the Coyotes Curling Club — are also longtime Arizona residents with roots up north.
And Carl Naso is perplexed.
“You know a lot of people have hurt feelings. They’ve always had a strong connection to the U.S., looked at the U.S. as not only like an ally, but also a family member or a cousin and all of the sudden, they’ve been shunned. They quite don’t know how to react, I think," Carl Naso said.
His wife, though, has a slightly different view of the consternation.
“I’m not bothered by it. Canada is the U.S.’s best neighbor. Canada is a good friend to the U.S., he’ll figure that out,” Naso said referring to Trump. “I just take him with a grain of salt. And next year, he’ll be on to something different.”
As for the 100,000 seasonal snowbirds, according to the Canada Arizona Business Council, they add $1.4 billion dollars to the state’s economy each year.
Glenn Williamson is the council’s CEO and founder.
“We briefed most of the tourism industry. We see a 20% reduction," Williamson said.
Williamson is a former chairman of EPCOR Water USA and still serves on its advisory board. EPCOR is the largest private water utility in Arizona, and one of more than 500 major Canadian companies in the state.
The general sentiment among Canadians he deals with about the new state of affairs in the U.S. has been very negative.
“They hate America. Bottom line, there is absolutely no love affair with Canada whatsoever. Canada was going through its own turmoil, and there’s nothing better to pull together turmoil than a common enemy,” Williamson said.
“When this administration made the statement of the 51st state, boy oh boy did that get the ire of the average Canadian," Williamson said.
Williamson, though, believes the negative economic impact has been exaggerated.
“We see a drop like that, it’s not gonna wipe you out, the talk is substantially worse than the reality. And I hate to say it, because I’m talking to the media, but unfortunately some of the media has taken advantage," Williamson said.
But whether the impact is overstated or not, local tourism officials are doing damage control.
Rachel Sacco is the longtime CEO of Experience Scottsdale.
“People have a choice, when they travel and where they travel. People are wanting to travel to places that resonate with them emotionally, and you have to be mindful of the respect," Sacco said.
Sacco says that trust between neighbors and friends has been broken and the wounds may need time to heal.
“We miss our Canadians. Not only are they part of our snowbird season, if you will, they’re also part of our visitation year over year. They flock to our resorts, our golf courses, but they also own homes and businesses here," Sacco said.
Not to mention that Canada is Arizona’s second largest trading partner, behind Mexico.
According to the Arizona Commerce Authority, that relationship is nearly equally divided and worth more than $5 billion in cross-border trade, commerce that’s now in question after Trump recently called off negotiations in a spat with Canadian leaders over a commercial featuring former President Ronald Reagan railing against tariffs.
Back at the curling rink, Estabrooks says there’s a simple way to get the two old buddies back together.
“If you want to get along with your neighbor, you don’t say bad things about them for no reason," Estabrooks said.
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