Did North Dakota mayor sue Canadian wind farm for using ‘American wind’? Claim is full of hot air

A rumor that the mayor of Walhalla, North Dakota, a small town located five miles from the Canadian border, was suing a wind farm in Manitoba, Canada, for using “American wind” spread online in August 2026.

For example, a Facebook user shared an image on Aug. 31 with a caption reading “North Dakota Mayor Sues Manitoba Wind Farm for Stealing ‘American Wind.'”

The story spread amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s ongoing trade standoff with Canada, and was seemingly a reflection of the increasing tensions between the neighboring countries. Some users seemed to interpret the rumor about Canada “stealing” America’s wind as true. Snopes readers contacted us to investigate its legitimacy.

(Bob Granflaten via Facebook)

To investigate the rumor’s legitimacy, we first used search engines such as DuckDuckGo, Google and Yahoo. If the claim about Walhalla’s mayor, supposedly named Steve Clack, were true, journalists with reputable local or national outlets like the The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead, The Grand Forks Herald, The Associated Press or Reuters would have reported on it, and those search inquiries would have uncovered such evidence. 

That was not the case. We didn’t find any credible reporting about the alleged lawsuit. We also reviewed local news articles and Walhalla’s official city council meetings to determine whether Steve Clack was really the mayor. He was not.

The searches did allow us to identify the true source of the rumor — the Canadian news satire radio show “This Is That.” The show’s Facebook page posted the claim on Aug. 28, calling it a “classic This Is That clip from our 2nd season.” Further research on the show revealed that the satirical segment would have first aired sometime in 2011. 

The clip posted to the This Is That Facebook page included “#satire” in its description and the accompanying video included an AI content label (presumably, the visuals were AI-generated, as the show aired on radio, not TV).

Snopes frequently checks rumors that originate as satirical news stories. For example, in August 2026, we also alerted readers to a fake story describing Trump’s behavior in the presidential limousine, including listening to “Dancing Queen” by ABBA.

Since the effectiveness of satire is subjective, we use “originated as satire” or “labeled satire” ratings based on creators’ description of their work. It’s your call on whether you agree.

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