Cold Shoulder

For one Northern community, the cost of friendship with Trump's America is too high

- BY RHIANNON RUSSELL

FRUSTRATED AND a little heartbroken, Whitehorse resident Karen McColl decided to send a breakup letter to the mayors of two small coastal towns in Alaska. As she read headline after headline about President Donald Trump's tariffs and threats to turn Canada into the fifty-first state, the government employee and former journalist felt she had to take a stand.

"What does this breakup mean?" McColl wrote to the municipal leaders of Skagway and Haines. “It means I won't be visiting or spending money in your community while the leader of the United States continues with his hostile rhetoric.” She added, “I don't want to punish individuals and small businesses, but right now, it's more important for Canadians to make our voices heard.”

While many Canadians are steering clear of the US, the tension between the two countries feels uniquely fraught in the Yukon. We share not just a border but also a sense of remoteness and a way of life. Road-tripping Alaskans travel through the Yukon to get to the Lower 48. In turn, Yukoners drive down to the coast for Haines's annual beer festival and fishing derby, camping, hiking, and a taste of temperate winters. When Yukoners host friends and family, a trip to Skagway or Haines—or both—is often on the itinerary. The two coastal communities count on tourism, and Yukoners are typically more than happy to do their part.

The connection is also one of necessity; Skagway and Haines are both located just a few hours from Whitehorse and are only accessible by road via Canada. Their residents—a total of about 3,200 people—rely on the capital city for groceries, supplies, emergency medical care, and veterinary services. After Haines was hit with torrential rain, road washouts, and landslides that destroyed homes and killed two people in late 2020, the Yukon government donated $25,000 to the relief efforts.