Nanaimo Infusion 鈥� an online reach-out to Americans expected to draw hundreds of tourists in support of Canada's economy 鈥� has now garnered the support of Nanaimo's mayor and some members of council.
Tod Maffin presented to council on Monday, April 7, requesting their support with the bureaucratic process to allow the tourists to meet for a photo at Maffeo Sutton Park, alongside speakers.
Mayor Leonard Krog praised the initiative
"We're all very appreciative of what you've done and achieved so far, it has put the city on the map and attracted a lot of attention at a time when I think it's really important that we encourage relationships with the people of the United States and indeed the rest of the world and Canada," Krog said.
Coun. Janice Perrino added her thanks and said she was "inspired" by Maffin.
Nanaimo Infusion started after one of Maffin's TikTok posts went viral earlier this year. In the video, he suggested that Americans who are opposed to the tariffs on Canadian goods can support Canada via tourism during a weekend in April.
The tourists are expected April 25-27. There are no special events, with tourists expected to spend their money at local establishments like hotels, restaurants and entertainment venues, enjoying what Nanaimo has to offer.
During Monday night's council meeting, Maffin explained to council that under current city policy, to have an official event he would have to rent space, pay a deposit as well as either purchase insurance or risk personal liability. City staff, as well as the mayor, stated that the meet-up could be organized as an unofficial gathering without insurance.
"I will be there as well and I'm sure most of council, if not a good portion of Nanaimo be there without question, I suspect, on that day," Krog said," but there is no legal requirement nor arguably is there any liability incurred."
Following the meeting, Maffin posted in that he will be going ahead with the meet-up and group photo unofficially on Saturday, April 26, at 10 a.m.
While thousands originally expressed interest in visiting Nanaimo, as the date draws nearer, he currently estimates the amount of visitors to range between 600-700 people, with 230 confirmed in the group's Discord plus the number of visitors who haven't joined the Discord channel.
"I have also however heard a lot of people, Americans, are afraid of re-entering the U.S. Maybe they have green card status or they're on a visa or something like that," Maffin said in his video. "There have been people who have cancelled because of that, which is a horrifying situation."
He also drew attention to the wide variety of events for the weekend that anyone is welcome to learn more about on Tourism Nanaimo's website at
