Trade and tourism top issues at Niagara South all-candidates night

The local impacts of an ongoing trade war with the U.S. was one of several topics that five candidates vying to be Fort Erie’s representative in Ottawa were asked about during an all-candidates night held Thursday in Stevensville.

Hosted by the South Niagara Chambers of Commerce and the Niagara Association of Realtors, about 200 people gathered at Stevensville Memorial Hall to hear from those running in the new Niagara South riding in the federal election on April 28.

Fort Erie is now part of a newly formed riding with Welland, Port Colborne, and Thorold, and is no longer part of the Niagara Falls riding.

The candidates were asked nine questions and were each given a two-minute limit to answer them.

How the business community as well as the government should react to tariffs being imposed by U.S. president Donald Trump was a matter discussed on more than one occasion during the event.

One question related specifically to how to “maximize tourism potential.”

“We have to work more closely together,” said Vance Badawey, the incumbent Liberal candidate who was asked to answer the question first by master of ceremonies Kevin Jacobi.

Recreational amenities, wineries and beaches are all key pieces, but a plan is also important, said Badawey, the former Port Colborne Mayor and Niagara Centre MP since 2015.

“We need to have a strategy to identify what the priorities are,” said Badawey, adding it’s important to collaborate with all levels of government, and even BIAs.

Promoting Canada within its borders can go a long way, too, he believes.

“We need to ensure that we offer incentive packages and incentives built on staycations to people from Canada,” he said, also noting a growing cruise ship component of the tourism industry on the Great Lakes.

Fred Davies, the Conservative candidate who is the chief executive officer of the Niagara Business and Innovation Fund and the owner of Breakwall Brewing Company in Port Colborne, as well as San Marco’s Ristorante with his wife, said he’s confident that U.S. visitors aren’t going to stop coming to the area.

“I believe the Americans are going to come back because they like Canadians, they like Canada, and they like Niagara,” said Davies, who is currently a regional councillor for Port Colborne.

“To promote Canada, it’s not a hard thing to do,” he added.

The War of 1812 and the rich history of the region is something that can be marketed more intensely, according to Davies.

“Those are the things we need to expand on,” he said.

“They’re our friends and they’re coming back,” he said about U.S. visitors.

NDP candidate Chantal McCollum, a lawyer from Welland, said tourism is an “increasingly important industry in Niagara” that involves 40,000 jobs and 13 million annual visitors across the region.

About three million of those tourists are from the U.S., the rest mostly from Canada and overseas.

“We have a real opportunity to promote local tourism,” she said, adding the region has “so much to offer.”

Along with Niagara Falls and wineries in other parts of the region, she said there are great strides being made locally, such as revitalizations that have taken place in the Crystal Beach and Bridgeburg areas of Fort Erie.

“There are some really impressive things going on, and I think we can do more of that,” said McCollum.

Peter Taras is the Niagara South candidate for the People’s Party of Canada (PPC).

He said the U.S. has “always been an ally” and that Americans like Canada because they “feel respected” when they come here.

“Any trade disagreement we have with the U.S. should not in any way impact how we treat American tourists,” he said, also criticizing Canadians who recently booed the U.S. national anthem at an NHL game.

He says the PPC wants “social cohesion” and to not work with “what divides us,” but with being unified.

“Diversity is our strength–that is a lie,” said Taras.

“It is our unity (that’s our strength),” he added.

The final candidate to address the tourism question was David Vedova from the Christian Heritage Party.

“As a border community, we have always had a special relationship with our American neighbours,” he said.

“We need a strong, resilient strategy that doesn’t just wait for visitors,” he said, noting the importance of smart planning and strategic marketing.

Niagara’s tourism industry needs to “draw the line” with what type of entertainment goes on in the region and “the kind of culture we promote,” he said.

He said there is a “strong flood of media that exploits sexuality and violence purely for profit,” which “doesn’t reflect our values and the kind of destination we want to be.”

Healthcare, housing and real estate, and other issues were also addressed in the nine questions prepared by organizers.

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