Plummeting Cross-Border Traffic Hits Both Sides of the River

Last January, cross-border travel between the twin Saults was on the rise. More than 70,000 travellers crossed the International Bridge in January 2025 — a 5.3 per cent increase year over year between the two Sault Ste. Marie and Sault Ste. Marie. But when Donald Trump began his second term on Jan. 20, 2025, border traffic immediately dropped and has remained low since the U.S. president launched a trade war against Canada and many other nations. Now, a year later, the city has weathered crippling tariffs that caused mass layoffs at Algoma Steel, while many in Sault Ste. Marie and beyond choose to spend more time, and more money, on the Canadian side of the border. Amid the president's ‘51st state’ taunts and steep tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum – among many other actions Canadians found concerning – cross border travel dropped 23.8-per-cent at the local bridge last year. It began with an immediate 13.5 per cent drop in February and spiked as high as 35.5 per cent in April, with all other months of the year falling between 22.1 and 29.9 per cent compared to 2024 numbers. Even in December, almost a full year after Donald Trump took office, border traffic was down 27 per cent year over year. “I think that it’s completely understandable, from the perspective of patriotic Canadians, wanting to ensure that they’re spending as much of their dollars here when we’re in a trade war with our closest neighbour,” said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. “There was certainly no indication prior to the election that there was going to be discussions of threats to Canadian sovereignty or trying to cripple our economy the way he’s pledged to do, and locally has had some success in doing by imposing 50 per cent steel tariffs.” It’s a development that’s had definite — if not entirely clear — impacts across the river in Michigan Upper Peninsula, as fewer and fewer Canadians travel into the area. The Canadian response The Trump administration’s actions and sentiments last year led to almost immediate changes in how we view and interact with our southern neighbour. In a March 2025 poll, a majority of people polled by Village Media said they plan to shop much less in Sault Michigan, with 51.67 per cent of respondents stating they plan to stop shopping across the river entirely, and only 7.48 per cent stating they plan to shop there just as much. “Oranges, I was buying them before, but not anymore. I can do without it,” said a local shopper at the time. “I buy Canadian apples. There's a few things, but I just learned to do without.” The lower border traffic, and strong sentiment to buy Canadian, sparked patriotism in Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma MP Terry Sheehan, along with many other Canadians. “I'm proud that Canadians have been supporting buying local, spending in Canada, and don't spend in the United States with these outrageous tariffs,” he told SooToday. “Not only is this a trend here in Sault Ste. Marie at our border, but you're seeing this across this country, where people are being very patriotic and choosing not to travel into the United States.” Beyond the border crossing data, Village Media polls also demonstrate a souring view of the country across the river. A poll from September saw 78.76 per cent of respondents hold a “very unfavourable view” of the U.S. president, compared to around 15 per cent with a somewhat or very favourable view. In a poll from Jan. 16, 2026, 73.05 per cent of respondents said our relationship with the U.S. is “actively deteriorating,” compared to only 1.56 per cent of respondents who think the relationship is “strong and mutually beneficial.” Another Jan. 16 poll saw close to half of respondents worry that it’s either somewhat or very likely that the U.S. will try to annex Canada. As a result of the changing relationship with the U.S., the Algoma region has also seen a boost beyond the grocery store, as more and more people choose to spend in Canada. “The tourism industry is up about five per cent this year,” said Sheehan, citing data from Destination Northern Ontario. “The spending is up significantly, around 50 per cent since 2019, so people are also spending more in northern Ontario — including Algoma.” As Algoma Steel faces mass layoffs in the coming months, however, there’s also a degree of caution in spending, according to the Sault Ste. Marie Chamber of Commerce, as the boost in buying Canadian is tempered by the economic impacts of U.S. tariffs. “It’s one of those things that sort of hits twofold, right?” said president La-Na Fragomeni. “They’re being far more cautious about their disposable income, pending layoffs and what’s going to happen.” “Do I spend my money here locally, or am I crossing the border and looking at exchange, tariffs and taxes and duties and everything to bring it back? People are being far more cautious.” Across the river At the outset of the trade war with the U.S., one Sault Michigan business expressed grave concern about the impacts it might have. “Every single customer that I have, except for three, are Canadians,” said a man named Floyd, who works in management at Weir Package & Freight. “I feel a lot of stress on behalf of our Canadian customers because we love you guys – aside from the fact that we rely on you.” Despite several attempts over the course of the year, those comments were the only Weir Package & Freight provided to SooToday since the trade war began. Later in 2025, other Sault Michigan businesses spoke about minor hits to sales, and expressed how they missed their Canadian customers and friends. Overall, however, the official word is that business in 2025 wasn’t so bad across the river. “I personally haven’t seen anything that alarms me,” said Tony Haller, executive director at the chamber of commerce in Sault Ste. Marie, back in November. “Nobody really reached out to me and said that was a bad summer. They just said that it was not as busy as other summers.” The real story could very well be different. “I know one specific individual that works in the hospitality industry — tips have been reduced by almost 50 per cent this year,” said Mayor Matthew Shoemaker. “Despite the patriotic happy face that they’re putting on, I suspect the reality is much darker than that.” A retired professor from Northern Michigan University shared similar thoughts with SooToday. “The negative impact of the president’s bluster against Canada … goes all the way from Washington, all the way to Maine,” said Michael Broadway, a retired geography professor-turned-writer for Rural Insights. “I find it very difficult to believe the Sault is somehow an anomaly.” Last year’s drop in traffic also extended further into Michigan, with most months at the Mackinac Bridge — which connects the Upper Peninsula to the rest of the state — experiencing reduced or flat traffic. “There are the ones that are going to just cross over the border and hopefully pick up a bargain at Walmart or some other store, and then there are the other Canadians that are going to cross the border and drive past the Sault because they’re heading south,” Broadway said. “It’s those Canadians that are just getting on I-75 and heading south, and clearly there are fewer of those Canadians actually doing that.” Beyond the border data, the year-over-year unemployment rate for July 2025 grew slightly in 13 of the Upper Peninsula’s 15 counties – including a jump from 6.1 to 7.1-per-cent across the river in Chippewa County. “The degree to which they’re related is up for debate,” Broadway said. “There’s no conclusive evidence to indicate that the two are directly related. However, it is suggestive.” The overall picture and the direct impact across the river are difficult to measure, with Broadway highlighting how data became limited as the year progressed. “One of the problems we have now is the lack of data. When the government shut down in November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics obviously didn’t collect any data, so there is no up-to-date data,” he said. Some have been difficult to reach to discuss the past year’s changes as well. Don Gerrie, mayor of Sault Ste. Marie, has not responded to multiple requests for comment dating back to the early months of 2025. While Broadway wrote in September that boycotts generally “peter out,” he isn’t sure what to expect in the new year. “Who would have guessed, at the beginning of January, that the United States would abduct a foreign leader? Who would have guessed that the President of the United States would essentially threaten Greenland?” he said. “Who knows what 2026 is going to bring?”