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CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
‘We love you, come on down,': Business owner's message to Canadians boycotting U.S. travel
FILE - American and Canadian flags fly near the Palace Playland amusement park, Wednesday, April 2, 2025, in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, a summer seaside resort town popular with French-Canadian tourists. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty, File( As the summer tourism season heats up and some Canadians choose to boycott U.S. travel, New England states and business owners want to draw Canadian tourists back. Maine's rugged coastline and sandy beaches have helped to earn it the license plate slogan 'Vacationland.' But this year, fewer Canadians are showing up. David Rowland, co-owner of York Beach Beer Company, has noticed fewer Canadian license plates and fewer Canadian surfers in York Beach. 'Down here at Long Sands Beach, it's usually lined with Quebecois or New Brunswick (tourists), and they're not here. Some are. But not like normal,' he said. 'We still have great beer and we're still nice people. And we have great waves and great mountains,' Rowland said. 'I would say, don't be afraid of us. We're not afraid of you. We're sorry.' From February to May, land crossings into Maine were down 27 per cent compared to last year. Other northeast states feel the drop of Canadian travellers too. At a summit in between northeast U.S. governors and Eastern Canadian premiers in Boston earlier this week, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey told reporters her state expects to see a 20 per cent decline in bookings. 'Vermont reports that hotel reservations by Canadians are down 45 per cent. Credit card spending by Canadians down 36 per cent. In New York City, bookings by Canadians are down 45 per cent,' said Governor Healey. Democratic governors blame U.S. President Donald Trump's rhetoric, after he repeatedly said he wanted to make Canada the 51st state. Trump also imposed tariffs on Canadian goods, including steel and aluminum. Maine's Governor Janet Mills said she's spoken with a bed and breakfast owner whose business has welcomed Canadians for generations but is now dealing with cancellations. 'It's not the tariffs that are affecting them so much as the hurt pride and Canadian citizenry,' said Mills. Maine has set up signs to welcome Canadians at border crossings and tourism visitor centres throughout the state. Its governor will travel to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia next week to meet with premiers, but also to promote her state as a destination. A Leger poll from May found that while Canadians' summer travel intentions are 'strong,' interest U.S.-bound travel this summer is 'collapsing' as only 10 per cent plan to travel to the U.S. this summer, down from 23 per cent last year. The poll also said 75 per cent of those polled who were planning a trip to the U.S. say tariffs announcement influenced their plans. More than half who had planned to visit the U.S. now plan to travel elsewhere. Other factors such as safety concerns, poor exchange rates, not feeling welcome and concerns about border delays also influenced their decisions. How the drop in Canadian tourism is impacting businesses varies depending on who you ask. At The Nevada Hotel in York Beach, Maine, its manager Valerie Fedorchak said they welcome guests from all over the world. Their Canadian guests are still coming. 'I'm really grateful to be able to say that we haven't noticed a substantial impact,' said Fedorchak. Typically, in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Canadians account for up to 40 per cent of tourists each year. When announcing how Canada would respond to Trump's tariffs In March, former prime minister Justin Trudeau singled out Old Orchard Beach and Florida as places Canadians would choose to avoid. Family-run businesses like the Sandpiper Beachfront Motel welcome regulars from Canada every year, especially from Quebec. For some families, it's a 40-year tradition. 'For us personally we've only had a maybe a handful of people cancel if that,' said manager Michael Rioux, noting their longtime repeat clientele are still coming except one family that gave up seven rooms at the end of July. Rioux said the guest didn't want to cancel but her family did. 'Given the political situation, they wanted to boycott the U.S.,' he said. Rioux said his brother's business has also been dealing with more Canadian cancellations. He thinks the exchange rate, coupled with political turmoil will impact tourism in Old Orchard Beach. 'It's sad, because Canadians lose out on one of their places to go and then the mom and pop places like us lose as well,' Rioux said. Suzanne Ellis, the owner of Johnny Shucks Maine Lobster said the season started off slow, but she's noticed more Canadians showing up recently, especially this week. Ellis said she's very happy to have them here. The operator had been worried because a lot of her friends in Canada said they wouldn't be coming. Ellis estimates about 60 per cent of her customers are Canadians. 'We want to see you, we love you, come on down,' she said. Rioux message for Canadians is to do what you've been doing every year and enjoy your summer vacation. 'I think a lot of the political stuff is keeps us divided. I think we should stay together and help each other out and not fuel into a lot of the political theater and division that they perpetrate in the media,' said Rioux.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Gastonia Police K-9 Bo invited to Washington D.C. for National Police Week
WASHINGTON D.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — Gastonia Police K-9 Bo and Sergeant David Rowland have been invited to Washington, D.C., for a special reception at the U.S. Department of Justice, where they will meet with Attorney General Pam Bondi. Attorney General Bondi expressed great admiration for Bo's recent honor as American Humane's 2024 National Hero Dog. Bo is in Washington as part of the National Police Week observance, representing the Gastonia Police Department and the vital role of K-9 units in public safety. As part of the visit, Sergeant Rowland and Bo will also attend a reception Tuesday, May 13 at the U.S. Capitol, hosted by Congressman Tim Moore. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Guardian
04-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Profits from NHS England eye care outsourcing same as 100 PFI contracts, research finds
Profits made from treating NHS eye patients by five private firms are so large they equal those made by the 100 with private finance initiative (PFI) hospital contracts, research shows. The disclosure has led to calls for ministers to cap what can be 'eye-watering' levels of profit made by private operators when they take over key public services. Research by the Centre for Health and the Public Interest (CHPI) thinktank found the five main companies providing cataract removals and other eye treatments to the NHS in England made an estimated £169m in profit collectively during 2023-24 – the same as in the 100 PFI deals. David Rowland of the CHPI, who carried out the research, said: 'For years the biggest scandal of wasted money in the NHS has been PFI, with huge amounts of taxpayer money leaking out of the health system and into the profit accounts of private firms. 'But our research shows that the outsourcing of NHS eye care is an even bigger scandal. Just five eye care companies have generated the same profits in one year as the companies running all 100 NHS PFI schemes.' The five are Newmedica, Optegra, SpaMedica, CHEC and ACES. CHPI's analysis also disclosed that: * The five's average profit margin for NHS work is 32%, and in one case 43%, compared with the 10% generated by PFI firms * £68m of the quintet's combined £536m paid to them by the NHS went on paying the interest on high-cost loans private equity investors used to buy the firms Rowland added: 'There are truly eye-watering amounts of money leaking out of the NHS in the form of profits going to private companies who have taken over the running of NHS eye care – £169m buys you a hell of a lot of healthcare and this money was set aside by parliament to treat the sick, not to generate huge profits or pay interest on private equity loans.' Rowland has calculated that £12.4m of Greater Manchester ICB's budget in 2023-24 became profits for the five firms. The equivalent sums were £11.7m with the North and East Cumbria ICB, £11.2m with Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and £8.1m with Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB. Labour MP Stella Creasy, a campaigner on PFI, backed the CHPI's call for ministers to impose a cap on the profits private operators of public services can make, as has happened with children's social care services, to clamp down on excessive profiteering. Creasy said: 'Every penny matters with public services. It's now urgent that we need to get to grips with the profits private companies make when exploiting public services. 'My colleagues will be shocked to hear that these companies are making even more money than [with] PFI contracts. 'When you cap what you can make from a military or children's social care contract, but not with schools and hospitals, clearly there are lessons to be learned.' The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is looking into concerns raised by NHS England that private cataract firms have inflated their costs, undertaken operations that were not clinically appropriate and offered incentives to opticians to refer patients to them, the Sunday Times reported last month. A DHSC spokesperson said: 'While the independent sector has a role to play in tackling the waiting list backlog, we will not tolerate any overpriced or sub-par care. 'All NHS patients must receive safe and high-quality care, whether being treated by private providers or directly by the NHS.'
The Star
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Tui left out of Black Ferns squad for Pacific Four Series
Rugby Union - Women's World Cup - Pool A - Australia v New Zealand - Eden Park, Auckland, New Zealand - October 8, 2022 New Zealand's Ruby Tui in action REUTERS/David Rowland (Reuters) -Winger Ruby Tui has been left out of the Black Ferns squad for this month's Pacific Four Series, a key part of New Zealand's preparations for their Women's World Cup title defence in England later this year. Tui, who scored five tries to help New Zealand retain the World Cup in 2022, looks to have lost out to Portia Woodman-Wickliffe after the twice World Player of the Year came out of retirement last month. World Cup-winning fullback Renee Holmes and lock Chelsea Bremner also missed out on the 33-woman squad to play Australia, Canada and the United States on successive weekends from May 10. "It's a tight race leading up to our World Cup campaign and we know we've had to make tough calls at this point," coach Allan Bunting said in a news release. "I've been very impressed by the response and attitude from our players to still serve the team. Our whole group is important on this journey, there is still a bit more water to go under the bridge before we name our World Cup squad." Fullback Braxton Sorensen-McGee, 18, was one of three uncapped players in the squad along with powerhouse prop Veisinia Mahutariki-Fakalelu and hooker Vici-Rose Green. Sevens players Theresa Setefano, Dhys Faleafaga, Jorja Miller, Stacey Waaka and Risaleaana Pouri-Lane have also been called up but the latter three will not be available for the Australia test because of the LA Sevens tournament. "It's not just about the squad of 33, this is about building a solid group of 40 plus who will be clear on how we want to be, and play come World Cup selection time," Bunting added. New Zealand are currently ranked third in the world behind the English and Canadians and face a stiff challenge to win the World Cup for a seventh time in August and September. (Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by ...)
