Sask. snowbirds selling vacation home in Arizona, say they can no longer live in Trump's America
Social Sharing
Dale Botting has spent the past 45 winters travelling to sunny Arizona to escape Saskatchewan winters and enjoy the warm weather, golf and friends he's made at his desert vacation home.
But this winter will be his last.
Botting has listed his home in Chandler, Ariz., a suburb of Phoenix, that has been in his family since his dad purchased it 45 years ago.
Botting said he could have dealt with the weak Canadian dollar and has resisted the urge to cash in on his home's appreciated value over the years, but he could no longer live in Donald Trump's America.
"It's this Trump regime and this cultism," Botting told The 306 host Peter Mills from his Arizona home office.
Botting, a Saskatoon business leader, and former deputy minister and CEO of Enterprise Saskatchewan, said he's among the first of his friends to sell out of the snowbird dream.
But he believes others will soon follow and that it's best to get out while housing prices are still stable.
"As an ethical investor, I just don't like what I'm seeing. I don't like to invest in governments that are becoming more authoritarian and more imperialistic and we certainly see that."
The decision comes with mixed emotions. Botting and his wife Rose still love to golf and have built a good community in Chandler, including many American friends.
But Botting said he wants to fight the looming trade war from Canadian soil.
That's something he's uniquely equipped to do as a former head of the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership.
"I worry about folks who are watching this increasing authoritarianism kick in almost every bloody night. The last 30 days have started to feel like 30 years."
He's not the only Canadian that feels that way.
Arizona real estate agents say Canadians are bailing out of the American market in record numbers, partly driven by the weak Canadian dollar and the chance to cash in on their home's appreciated value.
But for many, it's Trump's constant needling of Canadians through tariff threats or suggesting Canada should become the 51st state.
"They've been feeling bullied and the pinch of the Canadian dollar," said Laurie Lavine, a realtor in Phoenix, Ariz.
Lavine has an appreciation for the current Canadian sell off. He was born and raised in Winnipeg, holds dual citizenship and has lived in Phoenix for the past 16 years selling real estate.
"The bullying is kind of the last straw that broke the camel's back, and seven out of my 10 listings are for that reason alone."
Lavine said other realtors are experiencing the same surge of Canadians selling off their Arizona properties because they are fed up with Trump.
"In all my 27 years as a realtor, I've never really experienced this before," said Lavine, who sold real estate in Alberta before moving to Arizona.
One accountant that Lavine works with to help Canadians navigate the tax implications of selling American property is so busy he can't see new clients for two weeks, Lavine said.
"Normally I can get a client in to see him within a couple of days."
Lavine said most people he speaks with are puzzled by Trump's threats against Canada, and some worry the threats of tariffs or annexation are just the start of what Trump could do.
"My clients are fearful that in addition to tariffs they might decide to put an extra tax on a non-resident owning a property down here so many have decided to cash out," he said.
"They've just had enough."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Observer
38 minutes ago
- National Observer
Toronto financial institutions must do more to advance the energy transition
There is no doubt Canadians are absorbed by the many challenges related to the trade war, the attack on sovereignty and bringing the Stanley Cup back home. While each of these issues demand our attention, Canadians concerned about the American desires for territorial aggrandizement should not place climate-change action on the back burner. Despite our neighbours from the south abandoning the fight against climate change and proceeding to amplify the wicked problem, it is perhaps the most opportune time for Canadians to ensure our financial institutions are aligned to meet net-zero targets as soon as possible. Toronto and Montreal have historically shared the financial centre of Canada via two distinct approaches. While Toronto takes a more traditional path of hosting the headquarters of many of the country's banks, insurers and pension funds, Montreal is the leader in making Canada's financial system more environmentally and socially sustainable. A 2023 report from the University of Toronto found that in 2022, Bay Street-based financial institutions were responsible for financing 1.44 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent. As the study explains, if Bay Street were a country, it would be equivalent to the fifth-largest polluter in the world, behind only China, the US, Russia and Japan. This report was inspired by a 2019 report by Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund, which showed that London comparatively financed just over half of those financed by Toronto institutions, despite London having a larger financial sector in terms of dollars at the time. Despite this, until very recently, the City of Toronto has not made significant strides to address the climate pollution of its financial sector. By contrast, Montreal has been a clear frontrunner on shifting the financial sector toward sustainability and reducing climate pollution. Last month, Montreal displayed its leadership on sustainable finance at its annual Sustainable Finance Summit (Sommet de la finance durable). This event drew experts from across Canada to discuss ambitious leadership initiatives and investments toward a more sustainable financial system. One such initiative is Quebec's Sustainable Finance Roadmap, which aims to modernize the province's financial sector for social considerations and climate action. Furthermore, Quebec-based Desjardins and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) are two of the most forward-looking financial institutions on climate change to be found globally: Desjardins leads Canada in its ratio of sustainable energy financing to fossil fuels, while CDPQ has nearly completed an exit from coal and oil investments. Other cities globally are taking their competitive edge even further. London ranks first in the Global Green Finance Index (GGFI), while other cities have made significant strides forward. Notably, Singapore's 2019 green finance action plan helped it climb from number 23 to second in the Global Green Finance Index in just five years. Auckland has seen notable success in issuing its own green bonds to finance green public infrastructure, and in 2021, three of New York City's pension funds fully divested from fossil fuels, collectively divesting $4 billion in public securities. Canada just ensure our financial institutions are aligned to meet net-zero targets as soon as possible, write Stephen Kibsey and Robert Soden Toronto can fix its climate pollution problem. In late March 2025, the Toronto city council made a decisive step toward advancing as a leader in sustainable finance by adopting a new motion ( on the matter. This would establish a sustainable finance hub in Toronto, require the city to commission a report on best practices from peer cities in partnering with the financial sector on climate mitigation, and require the city to encourage federal and provincial regulators to set ambitious climate-aligned financial regulations. Overall, Canada is well-positioned to attract green investment and emerge as a leading North American destination for climate-aligned capital and financial innovation. A strong, predictable and rules-based environment is vital to attracting global investment in the energy transition. Looking forward, Toronto should advance the recommendations from the sustainable finance motion and help advance policy that would enable the financial sector to decarbonize its financial portfolios. Montreal should continue to provide an example and collaborate with Toronto to achieve successful climate-aligned finance. Canada must use the momentum it provides to build a stable regulatory environment and work to become North America's sustainable finance leader. With lifelong sustainable finance expert Mark Carney now serving as Canada's prime minister, we have both the expertise and the political opportunity to lead on stronger rules for climate-aligned finance. The cities of Toronto and Montreal can, and should, play an important role in encouraging Carney to show credibility on climate-related financial rules, which is the issue he built his career on before joining Canadian politics. As other countries are reversing action on climate change, the time to continue building an economic edge in financing the energy transition is now.
Cision Canada
an hour ago
- Cision Canada
Fraser Institute News Release: AI can help mitigate shrinking labour force by increasing productivity of existing workers and adding new ones
VANCOUVER, BC, June 10, 2025 /CNW/ - As Canada's labour force shrinks due to aging and slowing rates of immigration, artificial intelligence (AI) can help by increasing the number of available workers and improving worker productivity, finds a new study published today by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non-partisan Canadian public policy think-tank. "While there's a common perception that AI will eventually lead to mass unemployment, it actually opens the door to the labour market for people who may have been on the outside looking in," said Morley Gunderson, professor emeritus of economics at the University of Toronto and author of Can AI Mitigate Our Labour Force Problems? For example, AI can facilitate more effective job-matching between employers and job seekers including retirees who want to return to work, students who want part-time jobs, and new immigrants. AI can also improve employment prospects for people with disabilities by equipping employees with assistive technologies (screen readers, speech recognition software, etc.) and helping make driverless vehicles, "smart" wheelchairs and other AI-powered resources more widely available. At the same time, AI can help increase productivity growth, which has stagnated in Canada. For example, AI can help connect small and dispersed geographical markets with larger commercial centres, facilitate trade (within Canada and internationally), help small firms grow, and increase the ability of scientists and engineers to develop innovations that fuel productivity growth. "Rather than unduly fearing AI, Canadians should welcome the promise of AI to increase our ability to produce goods and services and improve our living standards," said Steven Globerman, senior fellow at the Fraser Institute. The Fraser Institute is an independent Canadian public policy research and educational organization with offices in Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto, Montreal, and Halifax and ties to a global network of think-tanks in 87 countries. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for Canadians, their families and future generations by studying, measuring and broadly communicating the effects of government policies, entrepreneurship and choice on their well-being. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit SOURCE The Fraser Institute
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
‘When our mates need help, Australia is there'; Canada gets help fighting wildfires
As wildfires continue to burn from northwest Ontario to British Columbia, Canada is getting help from near and far, and very far. Southern Highlands – New South Wales Rural Fire Service in Australia says a 96-personnel-strong Australian contingent of firefighters and specialists have deployed to Canada for five weeks. The service says the deployment is in response to a request from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says in a tweet that, 'When our mates need help, Australia is there.' A post on social media platform X from the official account for the Australian High Commissioner to Canada, Kate Logan, says the crews 'are on their way to support their Canadian colleagues battle wildfires in Alberta.' In Manitoba alone, the number of evacuees from fires has reached 21,000, and crews have come from other provinces and the United States. 'Thank you to our brave Aussie firefighters heading to help battle the Alberta wildfires in Canada. Stay safe and thank you for your service,' Albanese said on the social media platform X on Monday. Australia also sent firefighters to Canada in 2024 to help fight a massive blaze that forced the evacuation of Jasper National Park, as well as other fires earlier that month in British Columbia. The Yukon government, meanwhile, says it is sending 20 sustained-action firefighters to fight wildfires in Alberta and will be there for nearly three weeks. Thousands also remained out of their homes in Saskatchewan and Alberta, including between 10,000 and 15,000 in Saskatchewan alone. In British Columbia, the provincial wildfire service said Monday that crews were preparing for 'extreme fire behaviour' in the province's northeast as a second dry cold front was forecast to move through. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
