Toronto Star

As the United States descends into fascism, the importance of Canada, North America's only civil society, is greater than ever. That's why the new border crossing at the Peace Bridge will be so significant. The $43-million facility won't change Canada-U.S. relations or make this a better country, but, in its own quiet way, it says a lot about who we are and, more important, who we're not. Designed by Toronto's NORR Architects, the reworked Canadian Plaza at Fort Erie, Ont., is a small but telling gesture intended to convey the image of a place where people are still welcome, of a nation that hasn't succumbed to paranoia.