Nearly 846,000 vehicles crossed the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge in 2025, according to the International Bridge Authority. That's a 23.8% decrease when compared to data from 2024, the same year the bridge saw the most crossings since before the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2015, the bridge saw over 1.5 million crossings.
The lowered traffic comes at a time when there are heightened political tensions between the United States and Canada. In his first month back in office, President Donald Trump imposed an additional 25% in tariffs on products imported from Canada. Around that same time Trump started discussing the idea of merging Canada with the United States. Trump accused Canada of taking advantage of the United States for years and he doesn't "want to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on supporting a country unless that country is a state."
The Canadian government has been pushing a "Buy Canadian" campaign in response to the tariffs and statehood threats. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said these sentiments have lead to people pulling back from visiting the U.S.
"Our provincial government has taken American booze off the liquor store shelves and other retaliatory measures like that," Shoemaker said. Mayor Don Gerrie of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan did not respond to our request for comment on this story.
Canada and Michigan have a close relationship, with the country being Michigan's largest trade partner in a relationship worth $80 billion annually, according to the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Over 8% of the country's trade between the U.S. and Canada was between Ontario and Michigan.
"We've got nickel that goes into all kinds of materials that are used by defense contractors. We've got copper that goes into basically every electrical device in the world," Shoemaker said. "And this is why the Canadian economy has become intertwined with the American one."
These Canadian raw materials are used in American products, one of biggest being steel. Trump raised steel tariffs to 50% by the end of 2025. These tariffs have largely impacted Algoma Steel based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, who sends 50% of their steel over to the United States.
According to Transport Topics News, Algoma saw a $64.1 million USD loss in the third quarter of 2025, directly attributing the loss to tariff expenses. The company has let go of 1,000 employees.
Three small businesses in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, told WCMU they've noticed the decreased in international traffic across the bridge.
When asked if the lowered traffic was impacting revenue and if they've noticed a decline in Canadian tourists, Les Townsend with Island Books and Crafts in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, responded with "definitely both."
"Ever since they said something about making Canada a 51st state and putting tariffs on them, that's really got the people over there upset at us," Townsend said.
The Yooper Pasty Company's Heidi Ritter said her business has also been affected, saying political differences have created a void between the Michigan and Canadian sides.
"All I know is we are the friendly twin Saults, and we in Michigan would love to have our Canadian neighbors shopping with us and having friendship and fellowship between the United States and Canada," Ritter said.
At Das Gift Haus, Raymond Bell said the lack of Canadians in the city is noticeable and tourism is down.
"I just encourage people to shop local because it's usually the local businesses that get affected more than the bigger box stores when something like this happens," Bell said. "So shop your favorite local business."
On Thursday, Trump announced on Truth Social that he will be decertifying all Canadian aircraft and applying a 50% tariff on Canadian aircraft sales into the U.S.
The Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story.
