Hundreds of Americans accept B.C. man’s social media invite to visit Canada [Video]

Months after a British Columbia man’s social media invite to Americans went viral, hundreds showed up in Nanaimo, B.C., over the weekend to show their support for Canada.

Tod Maffin floated the idea to Americans in February, posting a video to TikTok in which he encouraged them to visit his hometown of Nanaimo on Vancouver Island — and thousands of people responded with interest.

His goal, Maffin said, was to create a bridge between the two countries at a time when U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to make Canada the 51st state, and the ongoing tariff war, had spiked political tensions.

Over the weekend, hundreds of Americans took Maffin up on his offer and made the trip across the border to attend Nanaimo Infusion, a festival created specifically to welcome the new visitors. 

Many of them were apologetic and expressed support for Canada.

“I don’t want a trade war with Canada. I don’t want to increase tensions across the border … we’re …