• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

First there were the threats to make Canada a U.S. state. Then came the tariffs. The latest poison dart is President Trump changing the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.

“Trump’s new 50% punitive tariffs took effect on Aug. 19, impacting roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian imports, including a wide swath of items like wine, hockey sticks, cement, dairy, furniture and swimming pools,” according to Forbes. “A majority of Canadians (56%) want their government to take a hard line with the U.S. and make no more concessions, according to a Leger survey fielded last month.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney has issued nationwide appeals urging everyday citizens to "Buy Canadian" and boycott American travel and products, shifting trade friction from corporate boardrooms directly to kitchen tables, according to Time. 

Tourism from Canada to Detroit has been steadily on the decline, according to Visit Detroit. The development and tourism organization said the region has seen a 30% drop over the last two years, according to WXYZ Detroit. 

Things recently went from bad to worse recently regarding the opening of the much-anticipated new bridge connecting the two countries. 

"A planned joint U.S.-Canada ceremony on [July 24] celebrating the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is no longer expected to take place after Donald Trump announced a 50% tariff on most Canadian goods,” according to The Guardian. “The move came after U.S. and Canadian officials reached an agreement earlier this month to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge after delays tied to disagreements between the two countries.”

The friction between the two countries is not new. 

“The number of Canadians traveling to the United States plunged after President Donald Trump returned to office with remarks about making Canada the 51st state,” according to The Associated Press. “An acrimonious trade war between the two countries now is threatening to reinforce the informal boycott just as it appeared to be easing slightly.”

It’s not just Canadian tourists snubbing U.S. cities, it’s business leaders as well.

“A cell phone activity data analysis from the University of Toronto School of Cities published earlier this year found a 42% year-over-year median decline in Canadian visits to U.S. metropolitan areas,” according to Fortune. “ These major declines in Canadian visitors weren’t just found in cities known for tourism, such as Orlando and Las Vegas—which would signify a downturn in tourism—but also in major industrial and financial hubs such as Dallas and Grand Rapids, Mich.”

Even Americans aren’t happy with the Lake Ontario name change. And MaqQuest isn’t abiding by the order — which has caused the 30-year-old app to soar in popularity, according to Marketing Daily. 

That’s unlike the approval ratings of the American president.

“President Donald Trump’s approval rating among college-educated Americans has fallen sharply in recent weeks, potentially adding to Republicans’ challenges as they fight to retain control of Congress in November,” according to Newsweek. “Trump’s approval among college graduates fell from 34% in an Economist/YouGov poll conducted Aug. 21-24 to 31 percent in its Aug. 28-31 survey. It dropped again to 30% in the poll conducted Sept. 4-8. Over the same period, disapproval rose from 63% to 69%, widening Trump’s net deficit with the group from 29 points to 39 points.”