Yarmouth — Approximately 9 months ago, a smart-alecky website called “Cape Breton if Trump Wins” generated widespread interest from Americans looking to escape to Nova Scotia’s picturesque northeastern island in the event of presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s victory.
Now, a competing site from the opposite side of Nova Scotia, “Yarmouth if Hillary Wins,” is drawing significant attention from Americans who would escape their country if the election results favour Hillary Clinton.
“Americans who hate Trump are flocking to Cape Breton by the thousands,” said Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood. “They’re making millions in tourism revenue, but if you ask me Cape Breton gets noticed enough as it is. So we saw it as an opportunity to draw international attention to Yarmouth — right now our town’s population is only around 7,200 people, and if this site works, we could double that before the end of the week.”
Yarmouth boasts a beautiful coastline, boats in a host of pastel colours, quaint homes and shops, friendly faces. “These are things you can appreciate whether you support Trump or Clinton,” Mood continued. “Let me be clear — we don’t endorse either candidate or their views in any way. We just really need the tourism. We’re assuming a lot of Trump supporters are business owners; bringing new business into Yarmouth would be a huge boon to our local economy.”
Not all Yarmouth locals are keen on the idea of a town swarming with Hillary-haters. Retired schoolteacher Trevor Conoley doesn’t want “American intolerance” anywhere near his end of the province.
“I don’t want any racist, homophobic Trump supporters in my town!” he hollered. “If they come here, I’m building a massive wall around my house to keep them out!”
On Yarmouth’s new website aimed at Trump supporters, the town has a warm, yet firm message. “Yarmouth: We’ll welcome you with open arms, but if you turn out to be an intolerant swine we’ll shove you into the ocean.”