Michigan

Michigan economy takes a hit as Canadian visits plummet amid Trump’s barbs

Published

1 week ago

February 26, 2026

Michigan economy takes a hit as Canadian visits plummet amid Trump’s barbs

Canadian visitors to the United States dropped dramatically in 2025 during a year of chilly relations between the neighboring nations.

About 10 million fewer Canadians traveled to the United States in 2025 compared with the previous year, according to Statistics Canada, a 25% decline that hit border states like Michigan especially hard.

Canadian visits to southeast Michigan fell 30% from 2024 to 2025, said Visit Detroit CEO Claude Molinari.

“That’s a large decline in a short amount of time,” Molinari said. “And it’s certainly having a detrimental impact on our area hotels, restaurants and attractions, which have been able to rely on consistent Canadian travel in recent years.”

The plunge occurred as President Donald Trump mused about turning Canada into America’s 51st state, accused the Canadian government of not cracking down sufficiently on fentanyl smuggling and slapped increased tariffs on Canadian products while arguing that America wasn’t getting a fair deal with its neighbor to the north. Canadian leaders have rejected Trump’s allegations.

Michigan business leaders told The Detroit News that the vision of a binational Detroit-Windsor economic region took a hit, but the underlying relationship between Michigan businesses and their Canadian partners remained strong.

“We know that Michigan businesses benefit greatly from tourism and from the business relationships that our Canadian partners have,” said Mike Alaimo, director of legislative and external affairs for the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

“Canadians are very important to American businesses. We know that American businesses are important to Canadians,” Alaimo said.

Canadian visitors have been declining since the early 2010s. But outside of 2020 and 2021, when international and cross-border travel was restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the severity of 2025’s drop was unique.

About 25% fewer Canadians visited the U.S., including 22% fewer residents of Ontario, the province that shares a border with Michigan, according to Statistics Canada. Land travel drove the overall decline, dropping 30%. The final tally of around 29 million visitors was the lowest non-pandemic total since at least 2010, according to Statistics Canada.

John Popham, 43, of Windsor, Ontario, said he used to visit Detroit frequently, including for sports games, but said he hasn’t gone in over a year.

“It just seems like there’s so much uncertainty. We miss it like heck, because there’s a lot to do over there,” Popham said.

Popham said he used to post online whenever he went to a game in Detroit “because it was pretty awesome to see, like the Pistons playing well when they weren’t supposed to.”

He said he wouldn’t hold it against fellow Canadians who posted about spending time on the other side of the border, but said many Canadians have adopted a mentality of “shop local, support local” during the last year.

Decline ‘definitely being felt’ in Detroit

But the number of overall visitors to Detroit did not dip from 2024 to 2025 despite fewer Canadian tourists, Visit Detroit’s Molinari said, meaning that visits from other states made up for the Canadian losses.

“Detroit in particular and southeast Michigan in general is becoming a much more popular destination. The perception of our area has changed in a really positive way, and that’s helping us,” he said.

“If we didn’t have this challenge right now where most Canadians think it’s unpatriotic … to visit the United States, we’d be seeing a really positive as opposed to a flat trend.”

Fewer Canadian visitors especially hurt Detroit businesses, especially since the Detroit-Windsor area operates “very much as one economy,” said Eric Larson, CEO of the Downtown Detroit Partnership.

“We have leaned in to making sure that we are continuing to reinforce that this is a binational economy, that this region is better together and operates stronger and more sustainably together,” Larson said.

One factor that’s helped the city avoid the worst of the possible economic headwinds is Detroit’s strong sports culture: Many Canadians who live near Detroit support the Red Wings, Pistons, Tigers and Lions.

“We are still benefited by the fact that much of our binational region has one of the unique unifying aspects, and that’s sports,” Larson said.

But he said Canadian fans last year were more reluctant to publicly express their support for Detroit teams.

“I think the interesting thing is that while there are still season ticket holders and individuals buying tickets to various sporting and entertainment events, they are less likely to post about it. They’re less likely to acknowledge the time that they’re spending here,” Larson said.

Canadian statistics showed that same-day visitors to the United States (such as those who cross the border to see a hockey or basketball game) declined more than overnight visitors. Same-day visitors declined 30% from 18.8 million in 2024 to just over 13 million in 2025.

Larson emphasized that Canadians who visit Detroit to see a game or concert spend money at local businesses in and around downtown, such as restaurants, bars and retail venues.

“Every individual that decides not to attend an event … is not just the loss of the revenue for that facility, but it’s typically the loss of the time that they spend. They typically are here to have dinner first or after, so there is definitely a carry-over onto that,” Larson said.

Canadians fear ICE, ‘political tensions’

Two other Ontario residents who spoke to The News in downtown Windsor cited U.S.-Canada political tensions, more aggressive Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and the Trump administration’s anti-transgender policies as reasons they stopped crossing the border to visit Detroit.

Trevor Leeder, 26, a Windsor resident who has dual U.S. citizenship, said in a typical year he would travel to Detroit multiple times to visit family, attend concerts and eat at local restaurants.

“This year, I haven’t been at all,” Leeder said. “This year, it seems like there’s a lot of political tensions rising. It doesn’t seem like a safe space.”

“I know a lot of Canadians just hate Trump, especially after what he said about annexing Canada,” he said. “I don’t like that rhetoric either. For me, a big issue is ICE. It just seems like a rogue gang of untrained men with guns.”

He has a more personal reason to worry about cross-border travel, too. Leeder said his brother is transgender and worries that if he crosses into Canada, he might not be allowed back into the US.

“It feels precarious to go visit Detroit at this time. It’s something I miss,” Leeder said.

Kait Zeller, 35, said she used to go to Detroit “regularly, every other weekend to see a game or a concert or go shopping.”

Zeller, a law clerk who lives in Leamington, Ontario, liked to shop in Detroit because “the prices have always been a lot better” than in Ontario. She used to have season tickets to the Red Wings and said she enjoyed watching all the Detroit sports teams.

Zeller said she hasn’t visited the U.S. since 2018.

“I don’t recognize the country anymore. … The current administration needs to go,” she said.

Zeller said it’s unfortunate that tourism has declined, but “now, my friends don’t want to go over to Detroit either.”

Canadians reasons on why fewer are crossing over the river to Detroit

Canadians reasons why fewer are crossing over the river to visit Detroit

Michigan-Canada business relationship remains strong

While tourism-heavy regions in Michigan felt the impact of fewer Canadian visitors acutely, the trade relationships between the state’s manufacturers and partners north of the border remain strong, the Michigan Chamber’s Alaimo said.

“You have coastal communities that care more about tourism and about making sure you have out‑of‑state visitors, whether from Canada or the Midwest, visiting those areas and spending their money there,” he said.

But overall, Alaimo said, “this just underscores the importance of having a strong regional partnership, of having strong trade relationships with Canadian provincial governments like Ontario, which Michigan does an incredible amount of business with every year.”

Those ties are strengthened by the supply chains in the automotive and chemical manufacturing industries, which often send components back and forth across the border to make a single product.

“Obviously, in Michigan, we have a lot of important interconnectedness with our Canadian partners, and that’s not going to change,” Alaimo said. “We have a lot of members that do business with Canada and want to continue doing business with Canada.”

Canada remained Michigan’s biggest trading partner in 2025, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration, accounting for nearly $28 billion or 43% of all foreign exports.

Despite the fraying relationship between U.S. and Canadian leaders, Alaimo said, “We certainly know that President Trump cares about our trade relationships with our global partners, and he wants those trade relationships to be strong and in the American interest.”

“At the same time, I don’t think the fundamentals change. Our relationships with our country partners globally matter, but particularly with our Canadian and Mexican partners,” he added.

Alaimo said many chamber members “want to see more American options in their suppliers and in their supply chains,” but still want to do business with Canadian firms.

The Michigan Chamber will continue to monitor the trade negotiations over the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the three-way trade deal between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, he said. The agreement goes into a joint review process this summer.

“At the end of the day, they want what we want: a strong and robust trade agreement so we can continue to have resilient supply chains across the border,” Alaimo said.

Exec: ‘I think we’re going to be friendly again’

Visit Detroit’s Molinari told The News he believed Canadian visitors to Michigan would eventually return to their usual levels.

“They feel they’ve been wronged, and they’re protesting with their lack of a presence,” he said.

Visit Detroit’s position is “we’re not going to be upset with Canadians for being upset with us. When they feel comfortable that the positive relationship is back, we’re gonna be extremely excited to welcome Canadians to visit with us again,” Molinari said.

In the meantime, he said Visit Detroit has adjusted its advertising so it doesn’t explicitly target Canadians.

“We’ve certainly cut back on our advertising because, frankly, we thought it came off as tone deaf, saying ignore the patriotic message that is coming from their government to not patronize the United States,” Molinari said.

But he doesn’t think the strain in U.S.-Canada relations will last.

“I believe peace is inevitable. I think we’re going to be friendly again. And I think they’re gonna come back when relations normalize,” Molinari said.

Windsor resident Popham indicated he is open to returning.

“I’d like some kind of announcement or proclamation from the federal government welcoming tourists, especially Canadian neighbors, to spend our money there,” he said.

bwarren@detroitnews.com

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Michigan

“Trustworthy” AI consortium focused on ethics, security launches in West Michigan

Published

12 hours ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

“Trustworthy” AI consortium focused on ethics, security launches in West Michigan

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping everything from classroom conversations to social media, and leaders at Grand Valley State University (GVSU) say West Michigan is positioning itself to help determine how the technology is used, responsibly.

The university’s College of Computing is launching the West Michigan Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (AI) Consortium, aimed at helping businesses, researchers and the community better understand how to use artificial intelligence.

Right in the heart of Grand Rapids, along the Medical Mile, the consortium will meet at the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health (DCIH) every week, with quarterly meetings open to the general public.

The effort is aimed at helping West Michigan industries adopt AI that fits their specific needs, while problem-solving for security, bias, privacy, and ethical concerns.

Right in the heart of Grand Rapids, along Medical Mile, the consortium will meet at the Daniel and Pamella DeVos Center for Interprofessional Health (DCIH) every week, with quarterly meetings open to the general public. (Abigail Taylor/WWMT)

Marouane Kessentini, Ph.D, Dean of the GVSU College of Computing told News Channel 3 that a wide range of companies in the region are bringing forward questions of where, and how, to ethically integrate artificial intelligence into their practices.

“Here in West Michigan, we have a high concentration of many industries, health, manufacturing, and of course high-tech companies,” said Kessentini. “The first questions are about security, privacy, ethics and bias. It’s not just about deploying tools. It’s about deploying them responsibly.”

Kessentini said the consortium will focus on training, research and community education, with a heavy emphasis on data privacy, cybersecurity and misinformation.

“There are many examples where AI systems were trained on data that wasn’t diverse,” he said. “That can lead to inaccurate results. That’s why testing and training are critical.”

The consortium will bring together faculty researchers, students, and industry leaders, with weekly meetings planned to develop guidance for using AI at scale.

The goal is to help companies validate AI outputs, clean and manage data, and identify bias before systems are put into real-world use, especially in high-risk industries like healthcare and manufacturing.

Some projects will involve software design, others will focus on creating public data sets that are reliably sourced, but anonymized for safe use, and many more are yet to be ideated.

Some projects will involve software design, others will focus on creating public data sets that are reliably sourced, but anonymized for safe use, and many more are yet to be ideated. (Abigail Taylor/WWMT)

The initiative is backed by $1,031,000 in federal support, through the Community Project Funding (CPF) process, resources that U.S. Representative Hillary Scholten (D-MI-03) said she advocated for among members of congress in Washington.

“West Michigan should be leading the way in how artificial intelligence is developed and used, and that starts with investing in people and institutions we trust,” said Rep. Scholten. “This funding will help GVSU bring together educators, industry, and public partners to build AI systems that are ethical, secure, and transparent while preparing students for good-paying jobs and strengthening our region’s economy. I’m proud to support this work and to continue delivering federal investments that ensure West Michigan remains at the forefront of responsible innovation.”

It’s important that AI is useful, but also safe…

GVSU also launched an online certificate portal that is open for community members interested in learning about ethical AI use, for free.

Kessentini said the training is for the general public to learn how to navigate the technology, including the risks and limitations.

“It’s important that AI is useful, but also safe,” said Edgar Cruz, master’s student with a badge in cybersecurity.

Cruz is currently researching how AI systems can be attacked or manipulated with poisoned data, specifically as it relates to vehicle-to-vehicle communication, where AI helps self-driving cars exchange information like speed and position.

“We want to ensure that the system is robust and safe,” he said. “Because obviously people are involved.”

Kessentini said the consortium is designed to be a public resource, not just an academic project.

Quarterly community meetings will be open to the public, and training materials are available online through the College of Computing website.

“This is innovation with purpose,” he said. “We want to start here in Grand Rapids, but we want to make a global impact.”

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New Michigan O-line coach Jim Harding has one goal for spring practice

Published

1 day ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

New Michigan O-line coach Jim Harding has one goal for spring practice

Jim Harding, Michigan’s new offensive line coach, has one goal coming out of spring practice: he wants to have a set starting five plus a solid sixth lineman for good measure.

Michigan begins spring practice March 17 and concludes with the spring game on April 18.

Harding, appearing on the Michigan in-house podcast, “In the Trenches” hosted by Jon Jansen, joined new Michigan head coach Kyle Whittingham’s staff from Utah, where Whittingham was head coach the last 21 years. Harding spoke about a number of topics, including returning to the Midwest — he grew up in Maumee, Ohio, and his wife is from Farmington Hills — and his love for the Detroit Tigers, but most important was his discussion about building the Wolverines’ offensive line.

“I’d like to establish the starting five where you feel good that when you go into fall camp,” Harding said on the podcast that posted Wednesday. “Those are the guys that are working together immediately from Day 1.”

Harding said he uses a sixth lineman — he terms that player the “rhino” — quite a bit and would like to have at least two ready to go. The Wolverines also need depth at center considering only Jake Guarnera has snapped in a game.

“And then just having that physicality, nastiness of the offensive line,” Harding said. “Just kind of develop that.”

Since arriving earlier this year at Michigan, Harding said he’s been impressed by the linemen and their desire to work hard on conditioning and developing their craft by asking questions and wanting feedback. They have gone to dinner as a group to get to know each other away from the facility, and Harding has enjoyed the process.

“The things that you can’t measure right now is our physicality or our toughness, things like that,” Harding said. “I’m confident that it won’t be an issue, but that’s kind of the next step once we get pads on, (finding out) who are kind of the Alpha dogs in the room that are going to set the tone for the unit, and then, obviously, the offense. But really pleased with what I’ve seen so far.”

Harding shared offensive coordinator Jason Beck’s approach to installing the offense.

“The way (Beck) runs it, everything’s on the table Day 1 in practice,” Harding said on the podcast. “So we’ll get a script with, if you count red zone, probably 60 or so plays, and any play can be called. It’s really unique, and I’d never done it this way, but Coach Beck, actually calls it like he does in the game. There are no scripts, and so we’ll just move the ball down the field, and if it’s a third play and it’s third and 3, well he’s going to call a third-and-3 call.

“So you really have to have the kids prepared for all 60 of those. And then the next day there’ll be maybe different formations and things like that once we get the concepts down in the O-line room for the run game. Now it’s just a matter of dressing up different things. It’s a lot of stuff early on, because every run scheme we have could be called on that first day, every pass protection we have could be called on that first day. So it’s a front-loaded installation.”

achengelis@detroitnews.com

@chengelis

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Bills to end concealed carry permit requirement introduced in Michigan House

Published

2 days ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Bills to end concealed carry permit requirement introduced in Michigan House

LANSING, Mich. — A group of Republicans in the Michigan House say Michiganders’ second amendment rights are being infringed, as they introduce legislation to end requirements for concealed carry permits.

Right now, Michiganders must obtain a permit to carry a concealed gun, with a base fee of $100.

As part of the process, applicants must also receive training.

“The first thing they do is put you in a classroom, make sure you know all proper range and safety procedures, run you over what the law states about when and if you’re allowed to use your firearm,” Jonathan Hold, president of the Michigan chapter of Giffords Gun Owners for Safety and a firearms instructor, said. “It gives a really good grounding.”

Applicants must demonstrate four hours of range time as well.

The group of House Republicans feel this is an undue burden, noting many gun owners are already knowledgeable.

They also believe the current five-year felony for carrying without a permit is too steep.

“For the government of the state of Michigan to tell that that we have to be qualified under the guise of their rules in order to protect ourselves is a far cry from what the constitution provides for us,” Rep. Jay DeBoyer, (R- Clay) said.

The package of bills wouldn’t abolish permits, as they are necessary to take guns outside of the state, but it would institute what’s called “constitutional carry.”

That means Michiganders can carry a gun on them without a permit.

Twenty-nine other states already adopted such policies.

“When we exercise other first amendment rights like our right to speak, we do not have to get a permit or permission from the government to speak,” Rep. Jim DeSana (R- Carleton) said. “When we exercise our right to worship, we do not have to go get a permit or permission to go worship.”

Supporters say concealed guns are important for self-defense, and can also help stop crime.

“It’s going to encourage and increase safety for all,” Rep. Joseph Fox (R- Fremont) said. “It’s about protecting everybody because if there are guns in this situation, and people are worried for their lives, they’re gonna stay back away from evil and making bad choices.”

Gun control advocates like Gold, however, say it’s “ridiculous” not to have guardrails.

“We’re talking about the power of life and death at a distance,” Gold said. “To send an untrained user out into the world with a firearm is a mistake.”

He also takes issue with the constitution argument.

“The constitution says as part of a well regulated militia, if you read the second amendment, and we don’t have well regulated militias in this country,” Gold said. “At the very least, what we should have are trained firearms users.”

A similar effort to end concealed carry permits failed to gain traction last year in the Michigan Senate, and with the landscape unchanged, the bills likely have an uphill battle to become law.

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