N.B. communities included in border mayors’ alliance against tariffs

Mayors on both sides of the border are mobilizing ahead of the expected 25 per cent tariffs.

New Brunswick communities are included within an alliance of Canadian border mayors hoping to curtail a 25 per cent tariff on Feb. 1.

St. Stephen Mayor Alan MacEachern said he was eager to participate in the effort after receiving an invitation from Windsor, Ont., Mayor Drew Dilkens (the group’s chairman).

“One of the things that came out of our meeting was to reach out to our neighbours across the border and seek support and understanding of how this is going to play out,” said MacEachen in an interview Monday, adding that so far conversations have been positive.

MacEachern said the tariffs would negatively impact the local economies of St. Stephen, and neighbouring Calais, Maine.

“It is serious, especially for small communities like ours,” said MacEachern.

Edmundston Mayor Eric Marquis confirmed he’s also part of the border mayors’ alliance, but wasn’t available for an interview on Monday. A new international bridge between Edmundston and Madawaska, Maine, opened with great fanfare last year.

In a letter announcing the border mayors’ alliance last week, Dilkens wrote: ”Our two nations have never faced a circumstance that so profoundly threatens our shared economy and poses such devastating impacts on our country, our cities, and our families."

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