‘Fed up with Trump rhetoric’: U.S. city renames street to honour Canada

Burlington, Vermont city councillor Becca Brown McKnight says the city wanted to show support and stand beside Canada in spirit.

A popular pedestrian-only street in downtown Burlington, Vt., will temporarily be known as “Canada Street” this summer, in a symbolic move city councillors say is meant to show solidarity with Canada amid growing political and economic tensions.

The Burlington City Council voted unanimously this week to rename Church Street, the downtown retail hub, to Canada Street, or Rue du Canada in French, until Labour Day. Councillors cited concerns about strained U.S.-Canada relations, declining tourism and frustrations with the U.S. government’s stance toward its northern neighbour.

“We have been fed up with Donald Trump’s damaging and insulting rhetoric towards Canada,” said Burlington Ward 6 Councillor Becca Brown McKnight, who led the initiative, in an interview with CTV News Channel Wednesday.

“Renaming a street is something quick and easy for us to do, but also sends a message that we are in this fight with you,” she said, adding they’re committed to maintaining their long-standing historic relationship with Canadians.

According to McKnight, Burlington typically sees more than 750,000 Canadian tourists each year — more than its own population — and cross-border visits have dropped between 30 to 40 per cent compared to last year.

She says the street in question generates roughly 15 per cent of its annual retail revenue from Canadian visitors.

“Businesses are seeing a decline. We’re hearing from our Canadian friends that they’re afraid to cross the border. This is our way of saying: we see you, we’re with you,” McKnight said.

The city will spend about US$3,000 on signage and Canada-themed celebrations, but no permanent changes are planned.

Meanwhile, some Canadian cities are weighing symbolic gestures of their own.

Mississauga, Ont. removed all American flags from several public locations in March, ordering oversized Canadian flags to be installed on all flagpoles at City Hall. The city council in New Westminster, B.C. also voted to take down the American flag inside the Queen’s Park Arena in May.

In Ottawa, calls have resurfaced to rename Trump Avenue in the Central Park neighbourhood. The street was originally named in the 1990s after Donald Trump’s real estate empire, long before his U.S. presidency.