Latest news with #MarkDuval
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Americans hope Canadians stick with stateside summertime traditions
Maine residents offer their thoughts on the ongoing trade war as the tourism season heats up. U.S. resident Don Hoenig has traditionally spent summers in his Old Orchard Beach, Maine, neighbourhood surrounded by Canadians, and he wants to keep it that way. 'So come on down,' says Hoenig. 'Don't stay away just because of politics. We would love to have you.' The simmering U.S. trade war and rhetoric about Canada becoming 'the 51st state' is top of mind in some of southern Maine's vacation communities as the summer tourism season heats up. Cross-border traffic has dropped significantly and there's been a mass cancellation of Canadian reservations at Maine hotels and inns. In response, U.S. resident Mark Duval is proudly flying the Canadian flag outside his Old Orchard Beach home. 'The Canadian flag speaks volumes for me,' says Duval. 'We cherish the Canadians who come down and we have a great friendly relationship with them. And we depend on them.' For Jane Sparks, the tariff turmoil is a bit more personal. Sparks was born in Canada but has spent a large part of the last four decades in the United States where she met her husband. In fact, Sparks was proposed to by the ocean in Old Orchard Beach. Sparks is hoping Canadians will ultimately make a decision to stick with their stateside summertime traditions. 'It's sad that they're not coming because of our political environment,' she says. 'We depend on tourism. And it's a shame to hurt the little people in America.' During a typical summer, up to 40 per cent of Old Orchard Beach visitors come from Canada.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Austin's China Town shoppers react to Trump's 125% tariffs
AUSTIN (KXAN)— President Trump is lowering tariffs for imported goods to 10% for all countries, except China. That tariff rate for Chinese good imports has gone up to 125%. And it's something that will be felt here in Austin with a number of Chinese American businesses. Trump announces pause in tariffs; markets jump KXAN spoke with shoppers and businesses in China Town in north Austin. It's a center with more than 35 Asian restaurants and shops. It's been a cultural hub for many Asian businesses for nearly two decades, according to its of those business are Chinese American and told KXAN they do import a lot of their products from China.'What can we do?,' one shopper said. 'We cannot change anything.'Shoppers who frequent the center are waiting to see how big of an impact they'll feel with tariff hikes. One shopper feels like some are already panic buying. 'It's very busy in there,' the shopper said. 'The lines are all the way to the back… [it's not usually like that.]'Some shoppers told KXAN they shop at the MT Chinese Supermarket for fresh products, or things that are hard to find other of the market's employees in China Town said they didn't have time to do an interview with KXAN, because with new tariffs, they're having to rework their prices.'I see people putting things back,' a shopper said. The Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce (GAACC) has nearly 1,580+ members that are businesses and organizations. Some of those are Chinese American. GAACC's CEO provided KXAN with a statement about the Chinese tariff impact. It's complex. We've seen a significant surge of Asian companies keen to invest here due to the tariffs, and we've also heard from small local companies planning to shut down because they cannot easily flex Asian sourcing or absorb the new tariff costs. Mark Duval, President & CEOGreater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce Some politicians, like Texas Sen. John Cornyn, backed Trump, calling it a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain.'We play by the rules here in America, many other countries do not,' Cornyn said. Texas' biggest trade partners were Mexico, Canada and China last year, making up almost half of all trade in the state. China has typically been the state's second import partner. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
