B.C. capital’s U.S. neighbours wave hand of friendship amid political tension

Published 11:53 am Tuesday, February 17, 2026

The small American city of Port Angeles is once again rolling out the red carpet for its Victoria neighbours.

When passengers step off the first Coho sailing of the season on Feb. 19, they’ll be greeted onto dry land by locals from what some fondly call the “lost American suburb of Victoria,” complete with a Canada-themed celebration.

Sam Grello, executive director of the Port Angeles Waterfront District, says the event is a chance to celebrate the longstanding bond between Port Angeles and Victoria, and the vessel that has connected the two communities for decades: Black Ball Ferry Line’s MV Coho.

The celebration reprises a similar event held last year, organized in response to tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump and his repeated calls for Canada to become a 51st state.

At the time, Grello had hoped the political rhetoric would prove short-lived.

But over a year later, tensions between the U.S. and Canada continue to simmer, recently flaring again with Trump’s threat to block the opening of the Gordie Howe International Bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit, Mich.

Fearing the impact of the ongoing political strain on the relationship with their “good neighbours,” Port Angeles residents feel compelled to wave the maple leaf once more.

“It’s unfortunate that we feel the need to have to do something like this again,” said Grello. “We’re a whole year into it; whereas before, it looked like maybe it was just going to be the ‘chaos of the day’ or ‘of the month.’”

Since Trump launched his tariff war, Grello says Port Angeles has seen fewer Canadian visitors, with many choosing to stay north of the border for vacations and day-trips.

According to Black Ball Ferry Line, vehicle traffic on the Coho dropped by around 18 per cent in 2025, while passenger traffic saw a 15 per cent drop. “Largely driven by fewer Canadians travelling down south,” said Jessica Wiersma, director of marketing.

It was a shift that both the Port Angeles Waterfront District board and Destination Greater Victoria anticipated, says Grello.

“Everybody realized … that 2025 was not going to be a great year for inter-community tourism,” he said.

Pivoting their marketing dollars away from Vancouver Island, Grello says they instead focused on encouraging domestic tourism.

“And we had a pretty good year,” he said. “But we miss Canadians.”

It was a similar story for Greater Victoria. Numbers released by Destination Greater Victoria after the summer, suggested the region had seen its best tourism season in at least 10 years, buoyed by an ‘elbows up, Canada strong’ attitude.

But Grello stresses the Coho welcoming party is not about encouraging Victoria folks to spend their tourism dollars south of the border, nor is it a protest about the U.S government.

“We think that’s very gauche, and it is not the moment,” he said.

Instead, the celebration is intended to help alleviate fears that Trump’s time at the White House may erode Victoria’s goodwill for its “lost suburb,” causing a “generational” change in travel habits.

“If there’s three more years of this, that’s a pretty steady drumbeat of messaging,” said Grello. “That’s enough time for people’s long-term behaviours to change.

“There is the very real possibility that in three years, the stink of what’s happening now will remain.”

While the Coho will survive, says Grello, he fears the bonds and friendship may not.

“That is a very upsetting prospect for a lot of people in our community,” he said.

Similar to last year’s event, Coho passengers will be greeted by live music, cheeky signs and a ‘Ask an American’ booth where curious Canadians can chat with friendly Americans. There will also be a high school marching band and dignitaries from Port Angeles and Victoria.

Grello hopes the message of friendship is clear.

“There’s not much we can do to move the political dial, but there’s little things like this that we can do where we’re at least registering our distaste in what the conversation is right now,” he said.

READ MORE: Trade Ryan Reynolds not tariffs: Victoria’s American suburb waves the maple leaf.