Trade war brings fear, uncertainty to Canadian border city [Video]

In the Canadian city of Windsor, which survives on the cross-border auto industry, the start of a trade war with the United States has opened a period of fear and uncertainty.

Windsor is separated from Detroit, Michigan by a river, and American automakers based in the US city have been an essential employer on the Canadian side for decades.

“The value of what we have around us is based on the automotive industry. So if it were to collapse, that will collapse with it,” Robert Pikata, a 60-year-old who works for Windsor’s municipal government, told AFP.

Like many Windsor residents, Pikata has been following the news closely in recent weeks.

Many had hoped that President Donald Trump would ultimately back away from tariffs that Ford’s CEO Jim Farley warned would “blow a hole” in the auto industry.

But Trump made good on his threat on Tuesday, imposing a 25 percent …