Greetings to our twin city!

I wish I were able to attend today, but at the time you are meeting, I will—ironically—be in the international blue waters of Sarnia/Port Huron trying to catch some walleye (or pickerel)!

Our bonds run deep—and have for decades, and even centuries. We share the same name, we drink the same water, we breathe the same air, and we are friends, we are neighbors, and many of us are family.

As neighbors and friends, I promise you that we are here for you, and we are humbled to know that you are indeed here for us also—thank you!

I have spent almost my entire lifetime living on the south side of our shared river and have the utmost respect for Canadian citizens. I have always admired your profound loyalty and respect for one another.

For over a decade, I have been proud to have my children wear a hockey jersey with a Canadian flag on their shoulder, and I am even prouder to be able to call so many local citizens, including Mayor Shoemaker, friends. There are very few communities across both great countries that have such close and productive continuing relationships.

We each love our countries, and every country must always strive to be as individually sustainable as possible. The positive “elbows up” campaign is creative, fun, informative, and is encouraging people to bond and understand the importance of supporting one another.

I appreciate your passion, will individually continue to support your locally made products and services with pride, but will always support the Detroit Red Wings... (except now I am cheering for an unnamed Canadian team since we are not in the playoffs).

You should know that your mayor has been a great voice of advocacy for you—we met together with our U.S. federal legislator to tell the story of our joint community and how much we rely on each other, not just economically.

I wish you a great day—proud to be from the Twin Saults!