‘Elbows Up': U.S.-Canada solidarity event planned on both sides of border Wednesday evening
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) – A peaceful assembly in support of our neighbors to the north is planned for Wednesday evening near both ends of the Peace Bridge in Buffalo, New York and Fort Erie, Ontario.
The rally, dubbed 'Elbows Up for Canada,' comes as President Trump is set to enact sweeping global tariffs Wednesday and follows months of inflammatory remarks from the Oval Office. The phrase 'elbows up' originates from hockey legend Gordie Howe and has become a rallying cry after Canadian comedian Mike Myers referenced the slogan during an appearance on Saturday Night Live last month.
'It's sort of a demonstration that we're still standing together,' organizer Michael Powers, a lifelong Buffalonian, told WIVB News 4. 'We thought, just given everything that has been going on the past couple of months, given that the Niagara River is kind of the picket fence between two neighbors, the border towns are in kind of an odd situation. We thought it was important to show that not everyone is into the '51st state' rhetoric or weren't comfortable with some of the tariffs that have popped up.'
The event runs from 5-7 p.m. at the Shoreline Trail Bridge in Buffalo and at Mather Park in Fort Erie. Attendees should be able to see each other on either side of the river.
The Shoreline Trail Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that runs over I-190 just south of the Peace Bridge. Street parking is available on Massachusetts Street, Columbus Parkway or other nearby roads.
Powers said the only thing attendees need to bring is 'their spirit and willingness.' They may also want to bring a rain jacket: the latest 4Warn Forecast calls for widespread rain showers in the area Wednesday evening, along with a chance for high wind gusts.
Trump is set to announce new tariffs as he takes a political and financial gamble
Howe is a Canadian icon and Hockey Hall of Famer. His 801 goals were the most in NHL history when he retired in 1980 (though Wayne Gretzky and Alex Ovechkin have surpassed him), and he remains the league's all-time leader in games played. His physical play led to the moniker of the 'Gordie Howe hat trick,' said to be earned when a players records a goal, an assist and a fight in the same game. The CBC notes that a statue of Howe in his native Saskatoon depicts him with his left elbow raised, 'as if fending off an invisible opponent.'
'You go back to the old Gordie Howe expression – you gotta protect yourself,' Powers said. 'You understand why the folks in Canada have brought that back into prominence, because I think they're being slandered a little bit. And we just want to stand up with them.'
A similar protest in Detroit last month was strongly attended, though it was held on a Saturday in better weather.
'It's not [about] this party or that party; it's kind of a right-or-wrong sort of thing, more than anything else,' Powers said.
* * *
Nick Veronica is a Buffalo native who joined the News 4 team as the Digital Executive Producer in 2021. He previously worked at NBC Sports and The Buffalo News. You can follow Nick on Facebook, Twitter and Threads. See more of his work here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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