Fort Frances, Ont., and International Falls, Minn., residents link at border crossing in show of unity

Sarah Law · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 30, 2025 4:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Mary Watters says she feels astatine location connected some sides of the Canada-U.S. border, but this wasn't ever the case.

Born successful Duluth, Minn., she moved to Fort Frances, Ont., astatine property six and spent overmuch of her puerility successful the northwestern Ontario community.

"I went to precocious schoolhouse successful [International] Falls and my Fort Frances friends called maine 'traitor' and my planetary new-to-be friends called maine 'Canuck' — and truthful I was a teen without a state for a while," said Watters, who has since settled successful adjacent Koochiching County, Minn.

In a clip wherever galore are feeling divided amid the escalating Canada-U.S. commercialized war, Watters came up with an thought to bring radical together.

WATCH | Fort Frances and International Falls residents link crossed the border 

On Saturday, astir 150 radical gathered connected the International Falls Bridge. They shook hands, hugged, and linked up to signifier a enactment that spanned crossed some countries. 

"These 2 communities, we're retired connected the borderline of each other's state successful the mediate of nowhere, truthful we are truly tight," said Watters. 

Bracing subzero temperatures, Canadians and Americans collectively sang "We Are Family," a opus Watters says speaks to the adjacent ties betwixt the borderline towns.

"There's truthful overmuch intermarriage. There are truthful galore friends backmost and forth, radical who enactment unneurotic backmost and forth," she said. "It was astir extending goodwill and having a feel-good [moment]."

Watters said borderline unit connected some sides were co-operative during the event, which was partially inspired by akin gatherings betwixt Windsor and Detroit.

"I felt location connected that span wherever we each stood," she said.

'We person specified a beardown connection'

Mary Ann Woods Kasich utilized societal media to assistance dispersed the connection astir the weekend's event. Years ago, the Ranier, Minn., nonmigratory sold advertisements successful Fort Frances and became progressive successful the Fort Frances Rotary Club and Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce, she explained.

Days aft 9/11, she helped signifier a tally betwixt some countries, wherever participants took a vessel backmost to Ranier.

"Every twelvemonth connected July 1, we bask the Canadian fireworks connected the waterfront successful Ranier and celebrate," Woods Kasich told CBC News. "The Americans connected this broadside stitchery successful Ranier oregon vessel down to the historical Cantilever span for the fireworks."

"My constituent is historically, we person specified a beardown transportation with our Canadian friends. It enlarges each our satellite connected some sides 100 per cent!"

From 9/11 to the COVID-19 pandemic, Watters said, Fort Frances and International Falls person some gone done akin challenges arsenic borderline towns.

In times similar these, she said she wants radical to retrieve their similarities alternatively of differences.

"I conscionable privation the emotion to ripple out, and I deliberation it will."