U.S. diplomat describes Windsor as ‘ground zero’ in U.S./Canada relations
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The newest U.S. consul general in Canada marked his first official trip outside the Toronto area with a visit last week to Windsor, which he described as “ground zero” in relations between the two countries. Baxter Hunt told the Star that visiting Windsor-Essex was high on his list since stepping into his new position at the Toronto consul general office in October. Article content
“This is the place I wanted to start because of the centrality of the Windsor-Essex area, the cross-border relationship, and the importance of the trade that comes through here,” Hunt said. “Also because of some of the exciting new things happening here in terms of the Gordie Howe Bridge and the battery facility. I think it’s a really important part of the history between our two countries.”
During his brief trip to the area, Hunt met with Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens, local MPs, and the International Joint Commission. He also toured the progress at the Gordie Howe International Bridge and visited Art Windsor Essex. Although he was unable to tour the NextStar Energy EV battery plant, he hopes to visit the site on a future trip to the area.
“It has reinforced for me that this is sort of ground zero for the bilateral relationship. I don’t think there’s any other community across the border that has a deeper connection to the United States as the Windsor-Essex area does.” One of his top priorities is to continue to diversify and strengthen that relationship.
Hunt expressed interest in looking for opportunities to boost supply chains between the neighbouring countries, and ensure the efficient flow of goods across the shared border crossings. Article content “The Gordie Howe bridge is a great example of that,” said Hunt. “It’s going to greatly expand the capacity that you have here.
It’s going to have higher tech and operate at a greater speed than you see in a lot of other border crossings.” Another point of interest for Hunt is the evolution of Windsor’s auto sector, pushed forward by the construction of the EV battery plant. “We’re very interested in the green energy transformation,” he said. “Canada is making great strides in that and I think this particular area is going to be an important part of that.”
This is Hunt’s second term at a Canadian office — an uncommon occurrence for career diplomats who rarely serve two postings in the same country. His earlier posting was at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa from 2001 to 2004.
His visit to Windsor included a meeting at the International Joint Commission offices downtown. The IJC is a long-standing bi-national organization overseeing issues affecting the shared waterways along the Canada and U.S. border. “It’s a reminder that environmental issues are key,” Hunt said, “especially in communities that are along our shared water boundaries.
We need to be very mindful of the environmental impacts of things like climate change, of economic development, and pay attention to those issues that impact our quality of life.” “I think that there is a lot that the Windsor-Essex region has going for it, and I think it will continue to be an attraction for people in the United States.” In addition to its embassy in Ottawa, the United States has consulates general in seven Canadian cities.
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