With tension brewing between the U.S. and Canada as a new set of tariffs is set to take effect, some Canadians say they’re boycotting their trips to the U.S., vowing to use their wallets as a means to make their voices heard.
Both the Ambassador Bridge and the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel saw a noticeable decline in travelers last month, and some local businesses in Detroit also are noticing a decline in Canadian customers.
Related video: With 25% auto tariffs coming, repair shops and customers concerned over costs
On any given Red Wings game day, downtown Detroit gets packed with hockey fans. Many of those fans are often from Canada, especially when the visiting team is Canadian.
“I like to come to Detroit to watch the Canadian teams play, nice and close,” said Ottawa Senators fan Blake Howard, who drove in for the game from Sarnia, Ontario.
Before the Ottawa Senators took on the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena Thursday night, Senators fan Andrew Johnston sported a “Canada is not for sale” hat.
Johnston is originally from Ottawa but now lives in Michigan. His hat was his way of making a clear statement about the current political tension between the two countries.
“It's just a little pushback saying we’re not OK with this kind of rhetoric, the 51st state stuff,” Johnston said.
At the same time, many Canadians have been pushing back against new tariffs by canceling trips to the United States, urging Canadians to keep their money in Canada.
Harry’s Detroit Bar and Grill is steps from Little Caesars Arena and is a hockey pregame hot spot. Manager Cesar Ramirez says a large number of their customers are Canadian.
"I would say a lot," Ramirez said. "Especially during these Wings games, we get a lot of travelers."
But lately, they've noticed a decline in Canadian customers calling for reservations or putting their name on the wait list for a table.
“We have seen a decline in our Canadian customers, just based on the numbers we take down,” Ramirez said. "When we take their numbers down, we see the area code. So we see that they’re from Canada, and we’ve just been getting a lot less Canadian numbers.”
According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, travel across the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit-Windsor Tunnel dropped 14% from January to February 2025. February 2025 was down 12% compared to February 2024.
“It's of significant concern to us,” said Claude Molinari, President and CEO of Visit Detroit. "There’s definitely a sentiment in Canada that it’s unpatriotic frankly to travel to the United States at this time.”
Molinari says while the political tension is not the only factor driving the decline in travel, it is a major one. He says roughly 10% of Detroit’s tourism comes from Canada.
“Canada is the largest international travelers to the United States as well as southwest Michigan, so if there's a significant drop off, then that's going to have an impact on the hospitality and tourism industry for sure,” Molinari said. “Regardless of whatever position one takes, the numbers are factual.”
Despite the tension, we found many Canadians heading to the game from border towns like Windsor and Sarnia that are not boycotting U.S. travel and plan to continue making trips to Detroit.
"Keeping everything the same, coming to games or whatever,” Red Wings fan John Lavade from Windsor said. "Everybody right now is kinda getting along, trying to smooth things out and trying to get back to normal, eh?”
"It depends on the person you ask,” Howard said. “I love coming to the states, always have. I don't think there should be a feud between the two countries.”
Detroit businesses and tourism officials agree and hope to continue welcoming Canadian guests.
“We welcome our Canadian friends to come spend time in Southeast Michigan," Molinari said. "I believe that peace is inevitable and we will find peace at some point. I hope sooner rather than later.”
“If you’re a sports fan, we love you no matter what," Ramirez said. "We’re here to have fun.”
This article was written by Matt Dale and Brett Kast for the Scripps News Group.
