A Brief One from Niagara At Large publisher Doug Draper
Posted May 9th, 2017 on Niagara At Large
The Peace Bridge crossing the upper Niagara River between Fort Erie in Niagara, Ontario and Buffalo, New York is one of North America’s busiest border crossings for people and goods, serving as a conduit for hundreds of billions of dollars in benefits to the economies of communities on both sides.. File photo by Doug Draper
Niagara, Ontario – While America’s for-now president Donald Trump says and tweets things that have people in Ottawa, Washington and other places hyperventilating over what havoc he may wreak on the cross-border flow of people and goods, and on key sectors of Canada’s economy like the auto, dairy and softwood lumber industries, provinces and business leaders at regional levels are taking steps of their own to counter any damage.
In New York State, for example, Governor Chris Cuomo, who is clearly no fan of Trump or his policies, recently stated that his state will not adopt the president’s “America First’ dogma that is quite a bit about walling off the United States to people and to goods from Canada, Mexico and other countries.
And earlier this May, business leaders in the Buffalo, Western New York area, along with many hundreds of businesses on the Ontario side of the Niagara River, represented by the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce and Hamilton Chamber of Commerce signed a new agreement under the umbrella of a ‘Buffalo Niagara Partnership’ to ensure that, despite whatever Trump and his wrecking crew do, their business members will continue to work together for the benefit of economies on both sides of the border.
I’m not being naïve here.
It is up to all of us – the people of Niagara and Hamilton and Buffalo – to be engaged and make sure business is also conducted in ways that benefit the health and welfare of people and our natural and built heritage in our communities.
But anything business leaders and governments closer to us do to protect our communities from a wrecking ball covered over with Trump’s vacuous ‘Make America Great Again’ bumper sticker slogans is welcome.
Here are a few sentences from the May 8th editorial in The Buffalo News, followed by a link to the entire editorial –
“A new reciprocal agreement between the Buffalo Niagara Partnership and two Canadian chambers of commerce should ease any local tensions surrounding the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Even a little bit and every bit counts. …
Close communication already exists with a number of Canadian companies attending partnership events in the Buffalo Niagara region. This agreement takes it to another level and encourages communication – and business – to flow back and forth.”
As uncertainty surrounding the fate of NAFTA continues, it is reassuring to know that this area’s local business group and Canadian chambers have devised their own agreement to benefit both regions.”
To read the entire Buffalo News editorial, click on – http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/05/editorial-binational-agreements-niagara-frontier-offer-protection-trumps-plans-nafta-resist-focu/ .
For another related story, recently posted in Niagara At Large, click on – , https://niagaraatlarge.com/2017/05/01/chamber-in-niagara-ontario-launches-cross-border-network-with-buffalo-niagara-partnership/ .
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