Just the other day, a friend and neighbor told me that she and her husband were heading across the bridge to see a Canadian band that I absolutely love. I mentioned to her that I had not heard about them playing at all in Buffalo, which they used to fairly regularly. She responded by saying that they don’t play in Buffalo anymore because of the strained relations between the two countries.
Pondering what my friend had told me, I thought about how Sabres’ fans had sung the ‘O Canada’ anthem after singer Cami Clune’s microphone malfunctioned. When I saw/heard that myself, I actually shed a couple of tears. It was such a powerful moment that reaffirmed Buffalo’s strong connection to our neighbors to the north.
In response to the anthem singing, Molson Canadian stepped up and thanked Buffalo fans with a billboard as part of its “Cheer Canadian” playoff campaign. This incredible moment in time was a crucial reminder that the solid ties between Buffalo and Canada can never truly be broken.
Over the weekend, during Porchfest, I passed by a house that was flying a number of flags (lead image), including the American flag, the Buffalo flag, and the Canadian flag. I actually stopped in my tracks, and thought about all the times I’ve ridden my bike to Canada, had dinner at Ming Teh, eaten lunch at The Falls/Hamilton/Toronto, or sailed/walked the Canadian shores.
This morning, I received an email from The Kenmore Village Improvement Society (KVIS), which spotlighted the organization’s annual patriotic decorating of Delaware Avenue, in advance of Memorial Day. I was immediately reminded of a similar patriotic effort, in 2025, to fly American flags along Elmwood Avenue.
Walking down any street in Buffalo, you will come across countless flags, ranging from Pride flags to peace flags. Flying flags (and buntings) are excellent ways to demonstrate our love for our country, as well as ideologies that we stand up for. At a time when the country, and the world, are divided, I would like to express a sentiment that I think about every day – my love for Canada, which will never waver no matter how political sentiments might try to tear apart our countries.
I want to add that this is not a political post, at all. It’s merely a post that intends to serve as a wake-up call that we are all in this together, as a city, a country, North America, and a planet. Every day, we wake up and try to figure out how to make our own lives better, as well as the lives of our neighbors, hopefully. And that includes our neighboring country, Canada. As the City of Good Neighbors, that is our duty.
Our close proximity to Canada is, of course, the main reason that we feel so bonded to our northern neighbors. It’s why we belt out ‘O Canada,’ even when the microphone is working perfectly. To think that that sentiment is not reciprocated, for understandable reasons, is hard to swallow.
CBS news reports that Canadian visits to major U.S. metropolitan areas have plunged by roughly 42% year-over-year, primarily driven by Canadians avoiding cross-border travel amid trade and political tensions, as well as shifts in their travel to overseas destinations. Yes, that’s a bummer for Buffalo. At the same time, what’s equally tough are the cross-border sentiments that we as a city don’t have any control over. All we can do is to continue to sing, and hang our flags, and hope that one day we will be reunited with our Canadian friends.
According to the Windsor Star, Americans and Canadians have fought together as official national allies in six major global conflicts, alongside countless localized, peacetime, or cross-border engagements where citizens enlisted in each other’s militaries.
The six major international wars where the U.S. and Canadian militaries fought shoulder-to-shoulder include:
- World War I (1914–1918): Canada entered the war in 1914 as part of the British Empire, while the U.S. entered in 1917. Additionally, over 40,000 Americans crossed the border to serve in the Canadian Expeditionary Force before the U.S. joined.
- World War II (1939–1945): Fought alongside each other in theaters across Europe and the Pacific. This also included the creation of a specialized joint U.S.-Canadian commando unit known as the Devil’s Brigade.
- Korean War (1950–1953): Both nations contributed significant forces to the United Nations Command fighting under the U.S.-led coalition against North Korean and Chinese troops.
- Gulf War (1990–1991): Both nations joined the coalition to liberate Kuwait following the Iraqi invasion.
- War in Afghanistan (2001–2014): Both countries committed major combat forces to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) following the September 11 attacks.
- Global Coalition Against ISIS / Operation Inherent Resolve (2014–Present): Both the U.S. and Canada deployed air power, special forces, and training units to counter the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The list goes on and on.
As we draw closer to Memorial Day, and you consider what flags you will be flying, why not consider hanging a Canadian flag along with an American flag? It’s time that we take it upon ourselves to try to mend our relationship status. We might not be able to do anything about the big picture, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t try to bandage a fresh wound that will take decades to fully heal, if not a lifetime or two.
Just remember that time heals all wounds, no matter how deep. That said, they heal quicker when treated accordingly, instead of being left undressed (unaddressed) and left to fester.
