Let’s take a moment to unravel this story together. It begins in a bar in Windsor, Ontario, a city with a unique identity that straddles the line between Canada and the United States. On the big screen, “Hockey Night in Canada” played as usual, but what followed wasn’t typical fanfare. A chilly sentiment filled the room when “The Star-Spangled Banner”—the national anthem of the U.S.—rang out. The song was greeted not with applause, but with boos.
This wasn’t about misplaced hockey rivalry. No, this visceral reaction was tied to something much deeper: a brewing trade war. Just hours earlier, President Donald Trump had announced hefty tariffs on Canadian imports—25% on most items and 10% on energy exports—upending the longstanding neighborly relationship between the two nations. For Windsor, a city deeply intertwined with its American twin, Detroit, this felt like a betrayal.
### Windsor: A City with Dual Identities
Windsor isn’t your typical Canadian city. Known as the “automotive capital of Canada,” its heartbeat is nearly synchronized with Detroit’s, separated only by the narrow Detroit River. The two cities share more than geography; they share an economy. A.T.M.s in Windsor routinely dispense both American and Canadian dollars, and it’s not uncommon to see the Stars and Stripes flying next to the Canadian maple leaf.
But it’s precisely this close relationship that makes the situation so uniquely painful. The tariffs don’t just upset the economic balance—they threaten Windsor’s way of life. The auto industry, the city’s backbone, is particularly vulnerable. Both Windsor’s factories and Detroit’s plants operate in a transnational symbiosis, relying on a free flow of parts and resources across the border.
### A Shock to the System
When the tariffs were announced, the shockwaves were immediate. Workers, business owners, and even regular residents expressed a mix of anger and helplessness. In a convenience store, Navita Peters scanned a newspaper emblazoned with a large Canadian flag on its cover and wondered aloud about the future. “It’s unfortunate for the businessmen, but we’re all going to eventually suffer,” she said. A Trinidadian immigrant who has called Windsor home for 25 years, Peters’s remarks summed up the collective unease: pride in being Canadian mixed with uncertainty about what’s next.
Union leaders like Lana Payne, president of Unifor, have been inundated with messages of concern from workers. Payne, whose union represents 120,000 Canadians in export-dependent industries, expressed her disbelief. “A lot of Canadians are waking up this morning absolutely enraged,” she said. For many, this represents a dramatic departure from the historical partnership between the U.S. and Canada. Windsorites are left asking themselves: Why would our closest ally do this to us?
### A City on the Brink
Until recently, Windsor was on an upswing. Stellantis, a major auto manufacturer, had invested $1.89 billion Canadian dollars (around $1.3 billion USD) to retool its factory in Windsor for the production of electric and gasoline-powered vehicles. This plant employs 4,500 workers and is expected to grow even more once a third shift is introduced. Just on the city’s outskirts, a $5 billion Canadian dollar battery plant, a joint venture between Stellantis and LG, is already partially operational.
But Windsor’s hopeful momentum is now hanging by a thread. Businesses that had been gearing up for growth are suddenly scrambling to protect what they have. Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, explains the crux of the issue: auto parts manufacturers in Windsor receive weekly orders from automakers based on production schedules. Now, these American companies may demand that their Canadian suppliers absorb the 25% tariffs to keep prices steady on their end.
### The Ripple Effect
Absorbing such a tariff is not feasible for most manufacturers. As Volpe puts it, swallowing those costs would mean operating at a loss of 15% to 20%. “How are you going to book a loss every day?” he asked. The result, he fears, could be catastrophic. Parts companies might stop shipping altogether, leading to assembly lines grinding to a halt on both sides of the border.
Even George Papp, CEO of Papp Plastics, a Windsor-based parts supplier, admitted he’s bracing for fallout. “It is becoming obvious that this is less about punishing Canada or Mexico,” Papp said, “and more about restructuring revenue for the United States.”
In auto manufacturing, time is money, and delays can have immediate consequences. Plants like Stellantis in Windsor, which produce cars as iconic as minivans and muscle cars, don’t keep large reserves of parts. A backlog of just 24 hours could disrupt production.
### Beyond Economics: Fraying Ties
What’s really at stake isn’t just economic stability, but the deep-rooted human connections that have defined Windsor’s relationship with Detroit and the United States at large. Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens captures this sentiment perfectly while sitting in an office overlooking Detroit’s skyline. “We want to be friends, like we have been for hundreds of years,” he says, adding that while Canada has “cards we can play” in retaliation, the idea doesn’t sit well. Neighbors don’t want to battle. They want to go back to barbeques and baseball games.
Yet, tensions are escalating in people’s everyday choices. In the days following the tariff announcement, Windsorites have begun discussing personal boycotts. Some have decided to forego trips to the United States, including to cheer on the Detroit Tigers. Canadian supermarkets have started advertising Canadian-made products like pasta and fries, while liquor stores are preparing to pull American beer, wine, and spirits off the shelves.
Even vacationing in the U.S., once a no-brainer during harsh Canadian winters, is now being reconsidered. Online ads for sunny U.S. destinations are being met with derision and calls to spend travel dollars at home. These choices, while small, point to a growing sentiment of frustration and disappointment.
### The Way Forward
For Windsor, the immediate future is uncertain and ominous. The city, which has so seamlessly fused its identity with that of its American counterpart, is feeling the sting of separation forced by geopolitics. While Windsorites desperately wish to maintain their close relationship with Detroit, the tariffs have planted seeds of resentment.
Yet, there’s resilience in the community. The shift from growth to survival mode may be disheartening, but it also reflects Windsor’s endurance. This isn’t the first challenge the city has faced, and it surely won’t be the last. One can only hope that the ties binding Windsor and Detroit prove stronger than the politics pulling them apart. After all, these two cities have shared a border—and a bond—for generations.
