100 Per Cent Canadian

Is it just me or did it seem like the moment U.S. president Donald Trump first floated the ridiculous spectre of Canada becoming the “51st state,” an army of miniature Canadian flag tags immediately sprouted on grocery and specialty store shelves, denoting which products were grown or made here? 

My family soon found out our favourite breakfast bars are Canadian – because attached to an empty shelf where they should have been was a telltale little red maple leaf. 

At a recent dinner, my mother-in-law, Kathy, recounted shopping for our delicious roast chicken with all the fixings – save for one dish. Kathy lamented the lack of Canadian green beans where she shopped, so frozen Canadian ones had to do. We survived the hardship. 

Where had store managers been keeping those little signs? It’s almost as though they pulled them out of a backroom filing cabinet where they were stored for just the right moment. 

This was surely the right moment. 

Those small but mighty flags met many of us where we are. Our patriotism is a little tucked away; it would be gaudy to throw it in people’s faces, after all. But it’s right there when we need it – and once it’s out, well, there’s no putting it away. 

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I’ve always enjoyed a small hit of pride when answering “100 per cent Canadian” as I fill out forms about the ownership of In The Hills – especially in the face of American digital media giants who pull attention, and revenue, away from local media. 

Now that a trade war has begun, that answer feels like a badge of honour. And just as grocery stores are helping us buy Canadian, I’d encourage you to extend that ethos to all the small businesses in Headwaters.

This 100 per cent Canadian small business has been supported by readers and advertising in these pages from local retailers, realtors, renovators and builders, pool companies, landscapers, designers, salons, financial experts, hotels and restaurants, arts groups and many others for more than 30 years. A shout-out to Erin-based Kennedy’s Flags: If you’re after a Canadian flag made right here in Headwaters, their flags are available online or at The Village Green Florist.

As our neighbours who may be directly or indirectly affected by tariffs, we owe it to all of them to level up our commitment to keep our Canadian dollars in our community.

In this issue, their support enables us to tell some fascinating stories and meet remarkable people. We go nano for a glimpse of the tiniest bugs in our local ecosystems. We meet the executive director of the Orangeville Food Bank. We look at the battle over illegal truck depots in Caledon. We learn about teens with mental health issues at a rural therapeutic retreat. We visit local golf courses ahead of major changes in the local golf industry. 

Oh, and we serve a charcuterie platter consisting of cured meats, cheeses and other goodies all made here. One hundred per cent Canadian, sure, but better yet, 100 per cent Headwaters. 

You might say we had all this filed away for just the right moment.