"When the Toronto woman retired 10 years ago, she started spending her winters in Fort Lauderdale, renting a condo for three months. Being in the United States was familiar for Rowe, whose grandmother was American, and because she'd travelled throughout the U.S. as a young athlete. It was just gorgeous, Rowe said of her home away from home, which also became a place of comfort and refuge when her partner died. Friends and connections she had made there eased the pain of her loss."
"But things started to change after Donald Trump was re-elected as U.S. president in November 2024. Not long after, Trump made comments about Canada becoming the 51st state, and Rowe says her American friends brushed it off as a joke. I thought, This is not a joke. This is not funny at all,' she said, adding the remarks about Canada made her feel unappreciated."
"As a patriotic wave swept Canada amid tariff tensions with consumers buying Canadian Rowe started to re-think her vacation plans. While she acknowledges the low Canadian dollar, Rowe says it was the friction between the two countries that pushed her over the edge. Within the first few months of 2025, her mind was made up. I thought, I'm getting out of here,' Rowe said. As a Canadian, my little thing to do was change my winter vacation as a snowbird. She says she'll spend this winter in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and has no plans"
Jo-Ann Rowe retired and spent winters in Fort Lauderdale for a decade, finding comfort there after her partner died and forming supportive friendships. After Donald Trump’s 2024 re-election and comments about Canada becoming the 51st state, Rowe felt unappreciated when American friends dismissed the remarks as a joke. Growing tensions and tariff disputes between Canada and the U.S., despite a weak Canadian dollar, prompted Rowe to change her winter plans. By early 2025 she decided to stop wintering in Florida and will instead spend the season in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Read at www.cbc.ca
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