The U.S. election is being fought on Canadian soil, too.
Both the Republicans and Democrats are pushing for a share of the 620,000 Americans living in Canada who are eligible to vote in the Nov. 3 presidential election.
With tight races in battleground states like Michigan and Florida, where some of the latest polls have Joe Biden and Donald Trump neck and neck only a few weeks before the election, both parties hope that votes coming from Canada will make the difference in this election.
“We can’t sit back anymore,” says Heather Peterson, 37, as she plants a sign on a front lawn in St. Catharines, Ont., that reads “Americans can vote from Canada.”
Peterson was born in Buffalo and votes in New York state, but lives as a landed immigrant in St. Catharines. Three months ago, she helped start a brand new Niagara chapter of a group called Democrats Abroad Canada.
Peterson’s goal is to motivate as many Americans on the Canadian side of the border as she can to vote for Joe Biden.
“What’s on the ballot for me this time around is voting for women’s rights, Black rights, gay rights,” Peterson said.
“I am just seeing this dark cloud over everything. I wish there was something brighter in the world again.”
Heather Peterson is an American living in St. Catharines, Ont. Just three months ago she helped create a brand new chapter of Democrats Abroad Canada to get as many of the 620,000 Americans on this side of the border as possible to vote for Joe Biden. (Nick Purdon/CBC)
When asked what another four years of the Trump presidency would mean to her, Peterson can’t hold back her tears.
“I don’t want to think about it,” she said. “I am so broken that I can’t. I just have a fear that if it continues down this path, that we won’t be able to undo it anymore.”
Peterson admits she won’t say Donald Trump’s name out loud, because she dislikes the president so much. “His name infuriates me,” she says.
‘The Trump effect’
“American democracy is on the ballot this time around,” said Steve Nardi from his backyard in Mississauga, Ont.
Nardi is the chair of Democrats Abroad Canada. And while he doesn’t support Donald Trump in any way, he says the president has done wonders for the growth of his organization.
Nardi says his membership has grown by 73 per cent over the past four years, with 35 per cent of that occurring in the past seven months. The increase in membership has been so strong that in the past two years Democrats Abroad Canada hasn’t just opened the new chapter in Ontario’s Niagara region, there are also new ones in Windsor, Ont., and in the Atlantic provinces.
“People are angry, people want to make a change,” he said. “And they are finally beginning to hear the message that they are eligible to vote, even if they live outside the U.S.”
Steve Nardi lives in Mississauga, where he is the chair of Democrats Abroad Canada. He points out that Donald Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just 10,704 votes. He believes there are enough voters living in Canada who vote in Michigan to help win the state for Joe Biden this time around. (Nick Purdon/CBC)
While there are roughly 620,000 Americans who are eligible to vote from Canada, most of them don’t. Four years ago fewer than 33,000 cast ballots.
Nardy says he’s working hard to double that number.
He has 400 volunteers working to get out the vote — 150 of them are making calls to reach potential U.S. voters across Canada.
“My life is head-down, focus on this game,” Nardi said.
“On the morning of Nov. 4, my team and I need to wake up and know that we have put everything in the tank on the table, into the game. No ‘would’ve, could’ve, should’ve.'”
One state Nardi and the Democrats are targeting is Michigan — where he himself votes.
Trump won the state by only 10,704 votes in 2016, and Nardi insists at least that many Democrat Michiganders live in Canadian border cities like Windsor. That’s why Democrats Abroad have run ads in local media and on buses.
“I strongly believe the Michigan vote is there,” Nardi said.
Steve Nardi, the chair of Democrats Abroad in Canada, thinks American voters in Canada have a good chance to influence results in Michigan – a perennial swing state. ‘In the Windsor area there were almost 30,000 individuals who identify as being U.S. born,’ he said. ‘They are all eligible to vote.’ (Nick Purdon/CBC)
There’s another reason Nardi is so committed to winning this election — it’s become personal for him.
As the only Democrat in his family, he admits that the past four years have been taxing.
“I called my father three days after the election [in 2016],” Nardi remembers.
“It was veterans day in the U.S. He’s a Silver Star medalist, so I called him to thank him for his service, and he gloated. It was the heartiest laugh that I had heard in 20 years from him. And all I said was, ‘what concerns me is the unbottling of hate that this man [Trump] seemed to have uncorked.’ And he yelled at me for 20 minutes. That broke my heart.”
Nardi says he and his father have come to a truce.
“Politics is a third rail,” he said. “We stay away from that, but if he puts on Fox News, things go downhill.”
With only a few weeks until the election, Nardi says he is cautiously optimistic that he’ll get the win he wants so badly.
Republicans overseas
Ask the chair of Republicans overseas, Toronto lawyer Mark Feigenbaum, who he’ll vote for in 2020 and he just laughs.
“Well, that’s a secret ballot,” he says. “I vote in California — I’ll leave it to you to figure out who I voted for.”
While California has tilted to the Democrats in every election since 1992, Feigenbaum still makes a point to cast his ballot.
Feigenbaum is a tax lawyer and has been involved with Republicans Overseas since 2000. He’s aware that his organization isn’t doing as much in Canada to get out the vote as the Democrats — but he’s not worried.
Mark Feigenbaum is a Toronto lawyer and the chair of the Canadian chapter of Republicans Overseas. He votes in California. (Nick Purdon/CBC)
“The Democrats are really motivated because they have a fear that people aren’t going to vote,” Feigenbaum said.
“They are coming up from behind at this point and trying to win this election — and so you ask me why are they so active? Well, that in itself is an admission that they have a lot of work to do to win this thing.”
Feigenbaum says he hopes all Americans who are eligible to cast ballots from Canada will vote, but he isn’t convinced that Democrats Abroad Canada can make a difference in battleground states like Michigan.
“I think they are trying, but there are so many Republicans everywhere that are gonna vote, that want the current government, that as much as they [the Democrats] try they are going to fall short,” he said.
‘The most important election of my lifetime’
Not every Republican voting from Canada is as confident.
Georganne Burke introduces herself as an “unabashed supporter of Donald Trump.” She says it worries her that the Republicans are less active in Canada.
“I am just fearful that If the Democrats are in power, they will undo all the good things and there are many good things that Donald Trump has done over the past four years — I think they will undo them,” she said.
“I think they will hurt the economy. I think they will continue to divide the country. So I am extremely worried.”
Georganne Burke calls herself ‘an unabashed supporter of Donald Trump.’ She votes in the swing state of Florida, where some recent polls have Trump and Biden neck and neck. (Nick Purdon/CBC)
Burke has been a political operative in the United States and Canada for years, and she is the senior vice-president of a government relations company called The Pathway Group. However, for the next few weeks she will be campaign manager for Julius Tiangson, the Canadian Conservative candidate in the Oct. 26 federal by-election in the riding of York Centre. It’s fair to say that elections are in her blood.
“I believe that the vote, and the actual ballot itself, is a sacred thing,” she said.
“I can’t express enough how important and sacred and what a duty it is to vote in an appropriate and ethical way. I haven’t missed a single election in the U.S. in all the years I have lived in Canada,” Burke added.
“It matters a lot to me to continue to vote. I am very devoted to voting and I will do it until my last breath.”
Burke casts her ballot in the swing state of Florida where Trump won in 2016 by a little more than 100,000 votes. She knows it will likely be just as close this time around.
“Maybe he will win by one vote, and maybe that one vote will be mine.
“This election is so crucial to what the heart of the U.S. is and what it stands for,” she added. “I am worried, and I am not even sure the election is going to fix the problem. This is, without question, the single most important election of my lifetime.”
That sentiment seems to be shared by both Republicans and Democrats on this side of the border in the run-up to Nov. 3.
WINNIPEG – Some 250 coloured tacks pepper a large-scale world map among bookshelves at Whodunit Mystery Bookstore.
Estonia, Finland, Japan and even Fenwick, Ont., have pins representing places outside Winnipeg where someone has ordered a page-turner from the independent bookstore that specializes in mystery and crime fiction novels.
For 30 years, the store has been offering fans of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot or Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes a place to get lost in whodunits both old and new.
Jack and Wendy Bumsted bought the shop in the Crescentwood neighbourhood in 2007 from another pair of mystery lovers.
The married couple had been longtime customers of the store. Wendy Bumsted grew up reading Perry Mason novels while her husband was a historian with vast knowledge of the crime fiction genre.
At the time, Jack Bumsted was retiring from teaching at the University of Manitoba when he was looking for his next venture.
“The bookstore came up and we bought it, I think, within a week,” Wendy Bumsted said in an interview.
“It never didn’t seem like a good idea.”
In the years since the Bumsteds took ownership, the family has witnessed the decline in mail-order books, the introduction of online retailers, a relocation to a new space next to the original, a pandemic and the death of beloved co-owner Jack Bumsted in 2020.
But with all the changes that come with owning a small business, customers continue to trust their next mystery fix will come from one of the shelves at Whodunit.
Many still request to be called about books from specific authors, or want to be notified if a new book follows their favourite format. Some arrive at the shop like clockwork each week hoping to get suggestions from Wendy Bumsted or her son on the next big hit.
“She has really excellent instincts on what we should be getting and what we should be promoting,” Micheal Bumsted said of his mother.
Wendy Bumsted suggested the store stock “Thursday Murder Club,” the debut novel from British television host Richard Osman, before it became a bestseller. They ordered more copies than other bookstores in Canada knowing it had the potential to be a hit, said Michael Bumsted.
The store houses more than 18,000 new and used novels. That’s not including the boxes of books that sit in Wendy Bumsted’s tiny office, or the packages that take up space on some of the only available seating there, waiting to be added to the inventory.
Just as the genre has evolved, so has the Bumsteds’ willingness to welcome other subjects on their shelves — despite some pushback from loyal customers and initially the Bumsted patriarch.
For years, Jack Bumsted refused to sell anything outside the crime fiction genre, including his own published books. Instead, he would send potential buyers to another store, but would offer to sign the books if they came back with them.
Wendy Bumsted said that eventually changed in his later years.
Now, about 15 per cent of the store’s stock is of other genres, such as romance or children’s books.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced them to look at expanding their selection, as some customers turned to buying books through the store’s website, which is set up to allow purchasers to get anything from the publishers the Bumsteds have contracts with.
In 2019, the store sold fewer than 100 books online. That number jumped to more than 3,000 in 2020, as retailers had to deal with pandemic lockdowns.
After years of running a successful mail-order business, the store was able to quickly adapt when it had to temporarily shut its doors, said Michael Bumsted.
“We were not a store…that had to figure out how to get books to people when they weren’t here.”
He added being a community bookstore with a niche has helped the family stay in business when other retailers have struggled. Part of that has included building lasting relationships.
“Some people have put it in their wills that their books will come to us,” said Wendy Bumsted.
Some of those collections have included tips on traveling through Asia in the early 2000s or the history of Australian cricket.
Micheal Bumsted said they’ve had to learn to be patient with selling some of these more obscure titles, but eventually the time comes for them to find a new home.
“One of the great things about physical books is that they can be there for you when you are ready for them.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 15, 2024.
MONTREAL – Canada’s labour minister is praising both Air Canada and the union representing about 5,200 of its pilots for averting a work stoppage that would have disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Steven MacKinnon’s comments came in a statement shared to social media shortly after Canada’s largest air carrier announced it had reached a tentative labour deal with the Air Line Pilots Association.
MacKinnon thanked both sides and federal mediators, saying the airline and its pilots approached negotiations with “seriousness and a resolve to get a deal.”
The tentative agreement averts a strike or lockout that could have begun as early as Wednesday for Air Canada and Air Canada Rouge, with flight cancellations expected before then.
The airline now says flights will continue as normal while union members vote on the tentative four-year contract.
Air Canada had called on the federal government to intervene in the dispute, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday that would only happen if it became clear no negotiated agreement was possible.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
When it comes to plant-based alternatives, Canadians have never had so many options — and nowhere is that choice more abundantly clear than in the milk section of the dairy aisle.
To meet growing demand, companies are investing in new products and technology to keep up with consumer tastes and differentiate themselves from all the other players on the shelf.
“The product mix has just expanded so fast,” said Liza Amlani, co-founder of the Retail Strategy Group.
She said younger generations in particular are driving growth in the plant-based market as they are consuming less dairy and meat.
Commercial sales of dairy milk have been weakening for years, according to research firm Mintel, likely in part because of the rise of plant-based alternatives — even though many Canadians still drink dairy.
The No. 1 reason people opt for plant-based milk is because they see it as healthier than dairy, said Joel Gregoire, Mintel’s associate director for food and drink.
“Plant-based milk, the one thing about it — it’s not new. It’s been around for quite some time. It’s pretty established,” said Gregoire.
Because of that, it serves as an “entry point” for many consumers interested in plant-based alternatives to animal products, he said.
Plant-based milk consumption is expected to continue growing in the coming years, according to Mintel research, with more options available than ever and more consumers opting for a diet that includes both dairy and non-dairy milk.
A 2023 report by Ernst & Young for Protein Industries Canada projected that the plant-based dairy market will reach US$51.3 billion in 2035, at a compound annual growth rate of 9.5 per cent.
Because of this growth opportunity, even well-established dairy or plant-based companies are stepping up their game.
It’s been more than three decades since Saint-Hyacinthe, Que.-based Natura first launched a line of soy beverages. Over the years, the company has rolled out new products to meet rising demand, and earlier this year launched a line of oat beverages that it says are the only ones with a stamp of approval from Celiac Canada.
Competition is tough, said owner and founder Nick Feldman — especially from large American brands, which have the money to ensure their products hit shelves across the country.
Natura has kept growing, though, with a focus on using organic ingredients and localized production from raw materials.
“We’re maybe not appealing to the mass market, but we’re appealing to the natural consumer, to the organic consumer,” Feldman said.
Amlani said brands are increasingly advertising the simplicity of their ingredient lists. She’s also noticing more companies offering different kinds of products, such as coffee creamers.
Companies are also looking to stand out through eye-catching packaging and marketing, added Amlani, and by competing on price.
Besides all the companies competing for shelf space, there are many different kinds of plant-based milk consumers can choose from, such as almond, soy, oat, rice, hazelnut, macadamia, pea, coconut and hemp.
However, one alternative in particular has enjoyed a recent, rapid ascendance in popularity.
“I would say oat is the big up-and-coming product,” said Feldman.
Mintel’s report found the share of Canadians who say they buy oat milk has quadrupled between 2019 and 2023 (though almond is still the most popular).
“There seems to be a very nice marriage of coffee and oat milk,” said Feldman. “The flavour combination is excellent, better than any other non-dairy alternative.”
The beverage’s surge in popularity in cafés is a big part of why it’s ascending so quickly, said Gregoire — its texture and ability to froth makes it a good alternative for lattes and cappuccinos.
It’s also a good example of companies making a strong “use case” for yet another new entrant in a competitive market, he said.
Amid the long-standing brands and new entrants, there’s another — perhaps unexpected — group of players that has been increasingly investing in plant-based milk alternatives: dairy companies.
For example, Danone has owned the Silk and So Delicious brands since an acquisition in 2014, and long-standing U.S. dairy company HP Hood LLC launched Planet Oat in 2018.
Lactalis Canada also recently converted its facility in Sudbury, Ont., to manufacture its new plant-based Enjoy! brand, with beverages made from oats, almonds and hazelnuts.
“As an organization, we obviously follow consumer trends, and have seen the amount of interest in plant-based products, particularly fluid beverages,” said Mark Taylor, president and CEO of Lactalis Canada, whose parent company Lactalis is the largest dairy products company in the world.
The facility was a milk processing plant for six decades, until Lactalis Canada began renovating it in 2022. It now manufactures not only the new brand, but also the company’s existing Sensational Soy brand, and is the company’s first dedicated plant-based facility.
“We’re predominantly a dairy company, and we’ll always predominantly be a dairy company, but we see these products as complementary,” said Taylor.
It makes sense that major dairy companies want to get in on plant-based milk, said Gregoire. The dairy business is large — a “cash cow,” if you will — but not really growing, while plant-based products are seeing a boom.
“If I’m looking for avenues of growth, I don’t want to be left behind,” he said.
Gregoire said there’s a potential for consumers to get confused with so many options, which is why it’s so important for brands to find a way to differentiate themselves, whether it’s with taste, health, or how well the drink froths for a latte.
Competition in a more crowded market is challenging, but Taylor believes it results in better products for consumers.
“It keeps you sharp, and it forces you to be really good at what you’re doing. It drives innovation,” he said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2024.
