Despite the ongoing trade war, Mayor Arnold DeBoon wants to maintain a positive relationship with the U.S.
Creston, just 10 kilometres from the Porthill-Rykerts border crossing, has long shared close ties with northern Idaho. Many residents regularly cross to buy gas at Jake’s Landing or groceries in Bonner’s Ferry. However, those trips have suddenly come to a stop with the concerns of added tariffs on goods.
In January, DeBoon joined the Border Mayors Alliance, a group aiming to foster direct communication between neighbouring communities across the border. While he hasn’t had much communication with the mayors of Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, or Coeur d’Alene in the past, he hopes this alliance will strengthen their connections and offer new channels for co-operation.
“We're all trying to cope as mayors and politicians in many different ways,” said DeBoon. “We do have a lot of discussions about what's going on, but it's really hard to make decisions because we're dealing with a moving target and inconsistent information. The level of uncertainty, I think, is probably one of the biggest stresses on everybody.”
That uncertainty has already impacted travel between the two countries. One Creston resident wrote to the mayor of Sandpoint, Idaho, expressing her concerns about crossing the border. In response, Mayor Jeremy Grimm sent a friendly letter saying he didn't agree with the actions of his leadership.
“Of course, I am disturbed to hear that the actions of our president have impacted your decisions of future travel to Sandpoint, but I completely understand,” he said in the Feb. 16 letter. “I wish you and the great, friendly people from Canada the best and hope that the current situation is soon resolved with the focus on what we share as two great free nations with a diverse population who sometimes see things differently … Hopefully, we will one day again be lucky enough to enjoy your company and travel to Sandpoint.”
Although the current political climate has caused a rift, DeBoon believes most people want to remain good neighbours.
“His response was very kind and respectful, and I was impressed by that,” said DeBoon. “Most Americans, by far, are probably not in agreement with tariffs or with the chill in the atmosphere between our two countries.”
Still, the divide is noticeable. Through casual conversations with people in northern Idaho, DeBoon has observed how few have ever travelled to Canada, despite living near the border.
“I think that we need to welcome them rather than say, ‘Well, you're American. We don't like you.’ I think it would be helpful for them to see Canada is a friendly nation,” he said.
To encourage cross-border tourism, DeBoon has considered working with local businesses to broadcast a sale day, during which Americans could take advantage of the favourable exchange rate on their dollar.
At the same time, DeBoon is urging Creston residents to shift focus toward shopping local and buying Canadian products. However, the risk of further increasing hard feelings between nations will be hard to avoid.
“I would encourage people here to write to the mayors of Bonners Ferry, Sandpoint, and even Coeur d'Alene just to let them know their desire to cross the border and shop on the U.S. side is diminished,” he said. “And it's not the fault of the people – it's the fault of the federal U.S. government and their rhetoric.”
In the face of growing tensions, DeBoon has made it his personal mission to reclaim the Canadian flag as a symbol of unity. Since the 2022 convoy protest, he has worn a flag pin on his lapel and makes sure a jar of pins is always available at town hall for anyone who wishes to display their pride.
“I just think it's if ever there was a time for us to show that we have pride in our nation, it's now,” he said. “We do feel we're under threat because we don't know what Trump is going to do next, because he's so unpredictable.”
As for the impact on Creston, he has faith in locally made products – such as lumber, Kokanee beer, and wine – to broaden their markets and strengthen the Canadian economy.
“I haven't heard from all of them, but I haven't had any indications that they are in great peril or facing a huge drop in sales,” he said. “If this continues for any length of time and the tariffs keep going up, it's quite possible. Time will tell.”
