With the trade war now in full swing and anti-American sentiment likely the highest it’s been since the War of 1812 or whenever Wayne Gretzky represents Canada nowadays, MidlandToday set out to find out what, if anything, local municipalities are doing.
Midland Mayor Bill Gordon initially told MidlandToday that the town didn’t have any American flags flying, but later discovered there was one hanging near a scoreboard at the North Simcoe Sports and Recreation Centre.
He then vowed to have it removed.
Gordon used the opportunity to create a video of himself addressing U.S. President Donald Trump with another video superimposed of the flag being removed by town staff.
In the address to the “untrustworthy” Trump, Gordon begins by pointing out that the sovereign nation of Canada has been the United States’ closest ally and trading partner for the last 158 years.
“On behalf of the 18,000 hardworking men and women and families in our community that will be harmed by your baseless and illegal trade war against Canada, I stand in solidarity with 40 million Canadians who are united against your attacks to our democracy, our sovereignty and our economy,” Gordon said.
“We will resist and repel your efforts to bend Canada to your will and we will never be your 51st state.”
Gordon said that while the two countries will always be neighbours.
“Perhaps, one day, we will once again be friends, but today is not that day,” he said. “Canada is and always will be the true north, strong and free.”
Penetanguishene Mayor Doug Rawson said the municipality doesn't fly the U.S. flag at any town locations.
Tiny Township Mayor David Evans said he's aware of Barrie's decision to remove U.S. flags, but assumes the flags were in indoor arenas, which Tiny does not have.
"Displaying the USA flag is not included in Tiny Township’s procedures bylaw and to my knowledge I don’t recall any USA flags," he said. "There are a few Trump flags around though (in Perkinsfield)."
However, Evans said that Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall's actions don't align with his personal perspective.
"I disagree with President Trump's implementation of what I perceive to be punitive tariffs targeting Canada with the intent to cause significant harm," he said. "It's important to acknowledge that the USA has been our top trading partner for over 150 years and likely will remain so for the foreseeable future.
"However, these measures reflect the policies of the current administration and not the sentiments of all Americans. As longstanding friends and allies, it’s imperative we recognize the deep interconnectedness between our two nations. Achieving reconciliation requires open dialogue and constructive engagement, rather than resorting to heated rhetoric."
While noting that his township doesn’t currently display the American flag on any municipal property or facility, Tay Mayor Ted Walker took a more cautious approach, voicing concerns about acting too quickly.
“My opinion is since we are dealing with a revolving door – where changes are constantly being made, we should not do anything rash until we know exactly what we are dealing with,” Walker said.
“And then the approach should be a unified one with all municipalities and the County (of Simcoe).”