16. Reflections from (the Very Near) Abroad: Being Canadian in the Canada/U.S. Borderlands

This chapter documents how moving to western New York in 1989 led, quite paradoxically, to Canada looming larger in my professional career, if not my personal life. My Canadian-ness is a professional asset since Buffalo is uncharacteristically familiar with, and to a degree overshadowed economically and demographically, by Canada. Proximity and location therefore matter and can foster cross-border understanding and comity. I also explore a second paradox I have experienced: location and shifting perceptions of power and influence. As a Nova Scotian, I felt far from the corridors of power in Canada. Buffalo is similarly removed from American centers of power and influence. Ironically, moving to a border region of a different country brought me closer to the economic power center of Canada, as Toronto is just 90 minutes away. Though changed, my understanding of Canada continues to reflect the sentiments of a resident of a peripheral region, albeit one now with privileged access to the heartbeat of Canada.