A Tale of International Partners

Erie County and Ontario, Canada share a unique, mutualistic relationship with one another in which both benefit from economic development, commerce, and culture. Erie County borders Canada's Golden Horseshoe - Canada’s largest metropolitan area consisting of over 7 million people and over 20% of Canada's population. However, a close relationship was not always shared by the two nations. 

Let’s travel back in time to the War of 1812. Back then, the relationship between Canada and the United States was quite different than what it is today. In 1813 the Battle of Buffalo occurred when General George McClure, the commander of the American troops in the Niagara area burned down the village of Newark, now Niagara-on-the-Lake in Ontario, leaving many of the settlers to freeze. In retaliation, the British forces which consisted of Native Americans and British soldiers burned Lewiston and then proceeded down to burn both Buffalo and Black Rock too. In Buffalo, the British only left 3 buildings standing. The British casualties were 31 killed and 72 wounded while on the American side the total casualties were 50 killed and 52 wounded. The aftermath resulted in Buffalo rebuilding its town from the ashes, and resentment toward General McClure for a seemingly unnecessary burning of a village. Within a short amount of time though, Buffalo would experience its first major breakthrough.

Buffalo grew exponentially from the Erie Canal opening in the 1825, with Buffalo being the last stop along the canal before emptying into the Great Lakes. The canal was, at the time, the most efficient means of moving large amounts of cargo across the country, since at the time there were no railroads. The Erie Canal was completed under the tenure of Governor Dewitt Clinton, and the economic impacts it had on Buffalo, and moreover New York State, were immense. In order to accommodate larger ships the Erie Canal was widened four times, the last time being in 1918.

Since the Erie Canal went through the entirety of New York State instead of the original trading routes on Lake Ontario, Canada was not able to reap the same benefits as Buffalo. Canada constructed a shorter canal to bypass Niagara Falls; the Welland Canal. However, significant freight movement through this canal did not occur until the St. Lawrence Seaway was opened in 1959 allowing large seagoing vessels to come in through the Gulf of St. Lawrence and go inland on the Great Lakes as far as Duluth, Minnesota. This all but shut down the flow of cargo ships through the Erie Canal due to the Welland Canal having a larger carrying capacity, and not having to go through 36 locks on the Erie Canal but instead only 8 on the Welland Canal.

Today, if you go to Canada or are coming back from Canada with your destination being in the greater Buffalo region, chances are you will take the Peace Bridge into Erie County. The Peace Bridge is appropriately named because of the 100 years peace between Canada and the United States.

Talks of an international bridge between Erie County and Canada were in the works since the 1850’s, but legal forces on either side prevented this from occurring. The Peace Bridge could not have come to be without the binational partnership between the two countries. The project to build the Peace Bridge was not only costly but dangerous as well due to the turbulent Niagara river below. What eventually resulted was that the bridge was built using funds from private investors on both sides of the border. Construction started in 1925 and the bridge was completed and open for public use in 1927. Today, the Peace Bridge is still widely used and is an integral part in the Bi-National economy. An estimated $40 billion in trade crosses the Peace Bridge every year.

Not only is there a large amount of trade between the two countries, before 9/11 travel between the two countries was very easy so the Canadian shores of Lake Erie became a popular summer residence for people living in Erie County. Ease of access boosted business on both sides of the border including the popular amusement park, Crystal Beach. 

Crystal Beach was a popular amusement park in Ontario. From 1888 to 1989 it was the summer destination for kids and families from Western New York. Originally, one of the most popular ways to get to Crystal Beach was via a ferry. The ferry was in service from 1888 to 1956. After that you had to take either a bus or a car to Crystal Beach. One of the main attractions at Crystal beach was the Comet Roller Coaster, which had a lasting impact on people, with the Silver Comet at Fantasy Island being named and designed after it. Eventually, due to competition from other theme parks such as Darien Lake, bankruptcy, and other financial problems, Crystal Beach was forced to shut down in 1989. However, the amusement park did leave lasting memories for generations of people. 

With New York’s second largest city and Canada’s largest metropolitan area being connected by a bridge, there is quite a bit of retail activity on either side. With major shopping centers in both Buffalo and Toronto, there is a lot of trade in retail between these two nations.

There is no shortage of places to shop in Toronto be it malls or the countless businesses on Yonge Streep.

On the American side there are also quite a few places to go shopping, with one of the most popular places being the Walden Galleria Mall. The trade that occurs from retail alone is part of the closeness that we have with our neighbors to the north, but that is far from the end of our connections.

Nowadays, we do not enjoy the same level of closeness with our northern neighbors due to events beyond our control, mainly 9/11. However by no means do we have a closed border policy with Canada. Canada has been a partner with Erie County since its conception, witnessing its rise and then decline while Buffalo has witnessed Canada’s steady rise throughout the centuries.