Americans living near the Canada-U.S. border to hold 'Elbows Up for Canada' rally
In an act of solidarity toward their northern neighbours, some Upstate New York residents are organizing an 'Elbows Up for Canada' rally.
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Residents who live near the Canada-U.S. border have organized this movement in an attempt to strengthen ties with Canadians. The event will take place on July 5.
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Dubbed the 'Friendship Flotilla,' it will see the Americans taking part boating along the St. Lawrence River with Canadian and American flags, as well as signs showing their support for Canada.
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'Every day we look across the St. Lawrence River and we see friends, family members, and business partners,' said Eileen Jarrett, one of the organizers of the rally. 'We hope this rally will remind everyone of our friendship.'
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Rally-goers will then head to Morrisette Park – those with boats will take the Friendship Flotilla across the St. Lawrence River from the Ogdensburg Marina to Fort Wellington in Prescott, and those without boats will stay at the park and wave across.
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The boaters will then split and head to both Brockville and Morrisburg to bring the flotilla to the other major Canadian border towns in the area.
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Organizers of the event are encouraging residents of Prescott to gather on the Heritage River Trail walking path at 2 p.m. to see the flotilla and greet the rally-goers.
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This movement aims to show Canadians that not all Americans agree with President Donald Trump's threats against Canada's sovereignty, and many want to extend an olive branch to their neighbours across the river.
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'Our countries share family ties, with many dual citizens and cross-border families, along with shared values of democracy, diversity, and human rights,' said Jarrett. 'Organizers emphasize that the movement is positive, focused on celebrating what unites rather than protesting what divides. The rallies aim to demonstrate the grassroots support for continued U.S.-Canada co-operation across economic, environmental, and security issues.'
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Jarrett hopes that a number of North Country residents will come and join the movement, although she is unsure of the number of people who will take part in the rally.
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This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly. Photo by Ryan Taplin/Postmedia/File OTTAWA — A week after allowing Canada's three major telecommunications companies to resell fibre optics to Internet service providers on their respective networks and those of smaller players, Canada's industry minister is facing harsh criticism from the industry. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Calgary Herald ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors The uproar is coming first and foremost from her hometown of Montreal, where three major telecommunication companies are headquartered and where the frustration is still intense. 'I am in shock. In shock. I am profoundly disappointed,' said Cogeco's CEO Frédéric Perron in an interview with National Post. Your weekday lunchtime roundup of curated links, news highlights, analysis and features. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again The Montreal-based company is not thrilled with the new minister's first consequential move. So much so that he wanted to 'ring the alarm bell' because he never thought that 'such a damaging, dangerous decision' as the one she made last week 'would or could be made.' 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'By immediately increasing competition and consumer choice, the CRTC's decision aims to reduce the cost of high-speed Internet for Canadians and will contribute toward our broader mandate to bring down costs across the board,' she wrote. Joly's office did not provide any comments on time for this story. The decision was made the day before Bell Canada's quarterly results were announced. Bell's stock was down that morning, and observers noted a correlation with the minister's decision. Frédéric Perron, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cogeco Inc. and of Cogeco Communications Inc. Photo by Hand-out / Cogeco Communications Inc.,Cogec In an analyst call that morning, Bell's CEO Mirko Bibic said he was 'disappointed' and urged the government and the CRTC 'to ensure that network builders are fully compensated for significant build costs and investment risks they take in building.' It also came a few weeks after Cogeco announced a new mobile service with an introductory one-year free offer. 'With this decision, the minister is essentially saying it's okay if the Big Three get even bigger. It's okay if the regional, local players suffer, and it's okay if there's a re-monopolization of telecoms in Canada,' Perron said. 'We don't think it's okay. Consumers won't think it's okay, and we'll fight to make sure it doesn't happen.' Cogeco and Eastlink, which announced last week it was 'suspending further planned upgrades to many smaller communities across Canada,' filed an appeal in July asking the Federal Court of Appeal to quash the decision. But in Ottawa, overriding a decision from the CRTC was seen as a 'bold move' and that could 'rattle the cage' not even six months after an election and a new prime minister in charge. Sources said the minister had a duty to ensure the sustainability of institutions and protect the national interest. Champagne, who has since become minister of finance, did not comment for this story. His office confirmed that he attended the cabinet meeting in which the decision was confirmed and that 'Canada's new government has a strong mandate to bring costs down and to build one, strong, Canadian economy.' 'We would have liked to see a lot more courage, and I'm happy to be quoted on that. It seems to me like deferring to the CRTC and maintaining the status quo was the easy way, but not the right way. Sometimes the best decision is the hard decision in life, and we are saddened that the hard decision was not made,' said Perron. Sources in the industry support Perron's comments about the decision. In a statement last week, Rogers Communications said 'the Carney government has declared its priority is to build a strong Canada and this decision does the exact opposite.' A recent PwC study shows that the telecommunication sector directly contributed $87.3 billion in GDP to Canada's economy and supported over 661,000 jobs in 2024. By 2035, the Canadian telecom industry could contribute another $112 billion to Canada's overall GDP, according to the study. But for Cogeco and other players, this decision could threaten these expectations. 'The decision from last week is not sending the right signal, and it's concerning to me,' said Perron. National Post atrepanier@ Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our politics newsletter, First Reading, here.
