Niagara Region thanks Buffalo in open letter

Neighbourly affection between Ontario’s Niagara Region and the city of Buffalo, N.Y., is once again on display amid the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade war.

And once again, sports are a playing a big role.

Niagara Falls Tourism has placed an open letter in today’s edition of the Buffalo News, inviting Americans across the border to visit on Saturday as a fireworks display will light up the sky over Niagara Falls red, white and blue — the colours of the Buffalo Bills football team.

The letter thanks Buffalo for “being a neighbour,” saying the two regions have shared the river for a long time and highlighting recent moments of camaraderie.

It says many in Buffalo stood up and sang O Canada during the Bills’ home opener on Sept. 17, and Canadians sang along, “from the stadium, in sports bars, and on couches across the country.”

Later, the letter reads, Buffalo took out billboards across southern Ontario, referencing O Canada with the note, “We’re still singing it.”

“Well, we want to return the feeling,” the letter says.

A similar dynamic played out this spring during the NHL playoffs, with many hockey fans in the Niagara Region cheering for the Buffalo Sabres.

At the time, St. Catharines city Coun. Kevin Townsend said there is a “lifelong friendship” between Upstate New Yorkers and Niagara Region residents, even amid escalating trade tensions between the two countries.