"Solidarity with our neighbours" as Cook County man jokes about annexation to Canada
Apr 12, 2020 10:24AM ● By Editor
By Jeff Walters of CBC - Thunder Bay - April 12, 2020
It was meant as a joke, and maybe even a little support, but a man who lives in Cook County, Minn. was surprised by the amount of reaction he received when he Tweeted the rural Minnesota county, should be annexed by Canada.
Cook County, which makes up a large portion of Minnesota's Arrowhead region, is one of the least populated counties in the state, with about 5,000 permanent residents. The population swells in the summer, with many camps and second homes found along the shoreline of Lake Superior.
Dear Canada,
Please, annex Cook County, Minnesota. We promise we're not crazy.
Sincerely and thank you,
The People of Cook County, Ontario (Formerly the County Known as Cook County, Minnesota)
None of the nearly 30 responses to the Hansel's tweet were negative.
"What really made me send it the other day was when Trump said that he was going to cut off shipments of PPE to Canada," said Bryan Hansel, a landscape photographer in Grand Marais, MN, the county seat.
"It seemed like a way to stand in solidarity with our neighbours."
Cook County straddles the Canadian border, and is frequented by many from nearby Thunder Bay, Ont.
Hansel said the COVID-19 pandemic has led to travel advisories in the county, asking people to stay away. There are only a dozen or so beds at the local hospital, he said, which have no intensive care beds or ventilators.
He said it is quiet in the area, with most people from the Twin Cities staying away from their summer homes, yet he knows of some who have ventured into the area.
"I've also heard of people travelling from the Twin Cities coming up the shore for a day trip. So, they drive five hours to the Grand Marais area, hang out on the beach and drive five hours back."
"It certainly seems a little busier than I expected it to be."
Hansel said the state is under a stay at home order, and roads are much quieter than normal. However, state parks and hiking trails remain open, with some beaches along Lake Superior having numerous cars parked nearby, while people walk around.
However, as a landscape photographer, he said while he may go outdoors into the bush, the stay at home order means he will not take his camera with him for work purposes.
Other changes include the local grocery stores in Grand Marais not allowing customers into the store. All orders must be sent in by phone or e-mail, and picked up outside the building.
