‘Like a bad marriage’: Leeds and Thousand Islands mayor sounds off on tariffs

It’s the uncertainty that gnaws at people. It’s the not knowing. Will the tariffs be gone tomorrow? Will they double? No one can say, and that, as Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands (TLTI) Mayor Corinna Smith-Gatcke puts it, is what’s keeping everyone on edge.

Smith-Gatcke, who is also warden of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, was one of four Canadian border mayors invited to a panel discussion on TVO earlier this month, alongside Matthew Shoemaker of Sault Ste. Marie, Drew Dilkens of Windsor, and Jim Diodati of Niagara Falls.

While each had their own worries about the economic strain of the United States’ latest tariffs, Smith-Gatcke’s focus remained on the place she calls home – a township of roughly 10,000 that swells every summer with American seasonal residents, a community now standing in the shadow of unpredictability.

“They put a lot of money into our economy,” Smith-Gatcke said. “Our regular population would be 10,000, but it swells a lot in the summertime due to the seasonal residents that come to join us.”

So far, this area has been lucky. No layoffs at the Port of Prescott. No disruptions in Gananoque’s manufacturing sector. But no one is exhaling just yet.

“I think people are trying to ride this out because who knows what tomorrow’s news might bring?” said Smith-Gatcke. “Tariffs might be gone, there might be double tariffs – nobody really knows.”

Despite the strain, Smith-Gatcke made it clear: TLTI isn’t about to turn its back on its American ties.

“We have no desire to sever those relationships with the individuals who support our communities in the summertime,” she said.

However, there is a shift happening. Call it a staycation revolution – Canadians choosing to spend their dollars at home rather than across the border.

“We are seeing more people planning to not spend their money in the U.S. because they’re choosing to support Canadian businesses,” she added. “But we won’t ever turn that down.”

Tourism operators in the region – particularly Thousand Islands City Cruises and Rockport Boat Lines, rely heavily on American visitors. This year, all eyes will be on whether those tourists still come.

“It will be very interesting to see what’s happening on the other side and whether they’re still coming to join us,” Smith-Gatcke said.

The broader conversation also touched on security and border crossings.

As part of the Border Mayors Alliance, Smith-Gatcke recently met with Canada’s solicitor general and U.S. homeland security officials to discuss the flow of goods and people across the border. The issue of fentanyl, cited by the U.S. administration as justification for increased trade restrictions, was a major topic, though Smith-Gatcke dismissed it as a flimsy rationale.

“It’s such a minute amount, when you’re talking about fentanyl,” she said. “It’s really hard to grasp why (Trump) is sticking to that messaging, because we know it’s .2 per cent or something like that.”

When asked by interviewer Jeyan Jeganathan what she would say to President Donald Trump if given the chance, Smith-Gatcke didn’t hold back.

“I would have to be bleeped out if I said what I really wanted to say,” she admitted, before drawing a sharp analogy.

“What I will say is, you have an opportunity to mend fences. We are here to be partners. If you choose not to do that, we’re going to have to go a different way. This is like a bad marriage. If you continually emotionally batter us, eventually we’re not going to come back.”

She then finished the thought.

“I don’t want a divorce,” she said. “But I want some counselling. And I want to see us come back to the table and find that middle ground.”