'51st state' fallout: Blue Water Bridge car traffic into U.S. declines, retailers feel it
Loss of Canadian visitors coincides with President Trump's push to annex ally
Greg Whitican, owner of Elite Feet in downtown Port Huron, Michigan, said he had a “huge Canadian following” that included a loyal group of runners at his shoe store.
“We have zero shoppers from Canada now,” he told Shifting Gears.
Whitican isn’t the only business operator noticing a change since President Trump confirmed in a Fox News interview that he’s serious about annexing our longtime ally.
At the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel on Thomas Edison Parkway, where guests have a view of the St. Clair River and the Blue Water Bridge, bookings have dipped.
“We’ve definitely seen a decline in travel from our Canadian neighbors, the biggest decline from the corporate sector that travels for manufacturing during the week,” said Manager Amber Graham.
A few miles north at Belle Tire in Fort Gratiot, Michigan, manager Jordan Horne said the number of Canadian customers isn’t good.
“I can say over the past couple months, we’ve seen very little to none,” he said. “It only seems to be getting worse.”
The latest government data shows passenger traffic over the Blue Water Bridge — from Port Edward, Ontario, to Port Huron, Michigan — has dropped significantly when compared to the same month last year:
In January, grew by 2% to 64,726 passenger vehicles
In February, dropped by 20% to 52,871 passenger vehicles
In March, dropped by 24% to 62,364 passenger vehicles
In April, dropped by 29% to 56,606 passenger vehicles
The Michigan Department of Transportation, which sources information from Canada’s Federal Bridge Corporation Limited, provided this data to Shifting Gears.
Calculations show 56,014 fewer passenger vehicles traveled from Canada over the Blue Water Bridge when compared to February through April 2024.
The dip in traffic stings local businesses, said Port Huron Mayor Anita Ashford.
“Canadians are very important. We want to encourage them,” she said. “I respect their decision but it’s a definite hit to us. You have to not be human to not be concerned.”
Canadian tourists contribute about $400 million a year to the Michigan economy. Day trips are especially popular at border crossings in Port Huron, Detroit and Sault Ste. Marie.
“This is about economic viability,” said Port Huron City Manager James Freed. “Canadians support your restaurants and other businesses. It’s about jobs for our people, and the service industry. Our local economies are economically interdependent.”
Tourism is a big business in St. Clair County, which runs along the St. Clair River and Lake Huron. It’s nicknamed the Thumb Coast because it sits in the thumb of the mitten-shape state of Michigan.
President Trump won St. Clair County in 2024 with 66.5% of the vote.
In addition to the sovereignty boycotts, news reports on both sides of the border have documented experiences of Canadians who caution their countrymen to stay home.
Canada has updated its travel advisory to remind citizens that U.S. border officials may search electronic devices – including phones, laptops, and tablets – without providing a reason, according to CBC News.
The nature of the relationship between the two countries has changed, said Prime Minister Mark Carney said last month. “… the U.S. actually does want to take us over … They want our land, they want our resources, they want our water, they want our country.”
Port Huron is just one illustration that Canadian consumers aren’t visiting.
The latest charts and data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection also reflect a dip in passenger car traffic between Windsor and Detroit and other parts of the U.S. Federal data for April will be updated mid-month, public affairs officer Youssef Fawaz told Shifting Gears.
In March, the Michigan Retailers Association tracked a significant drop in business.
“Across the state, 41% of retailers surveyed reported a decline in sales. However … East Michigan retailers reported higher percentages of declining sales” with 67%, said Otie McKinley, spokesman for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
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Thank you for this information. It’s always good to have facts and statistics to back up subjective conclusions. Of course, have to matter to the person o e is conversing with!
I'm going to Canada in three weeks and am curious about the reception I'll receive.