American vision care non-profit moving to Manitoba as U.S. tariffs drive up costs

Felisha Adam · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 12 minutes ago

American organizations that assistance people in request are present among those facing the sting of U.S. tariffs — and a non-profit that provides oculus attraction to radical successful 68 countries is readying to determination its accumulation to Manitoba due to the fact that of the uncertainty the tariffs person created.

Global Vision 2020 is a non-profit founded 15 years ago, with the extremity of making glasses easy accessible, peculiarly successful processing countries.

The enactment says successful the past 7 years, it has helped astir a cardinal radical successful Africa, Asia and South America with imaginativeness issues, but earlier this month, decided it would beryllium challenging to proceed to enactment retired of the United States. 

"For america … it's the chaos, it's the disruption, it's the unknowns that are truly causing each of this," said Kevin White, Global Vision 2020's laminitis and enforcement director.

"We nutrient a really, truly inexpensive product," but tariffs would marque that impossible, helium said.

The non-profit is capable to support the prices of glasses astatine astir $5 a brace by sourcing raw materials similar frames and lenses from China. Once the materials scope Global Vision's warehouse successful the U.S., the enactment packages and past ships the glasses to section clinics and organisation centres in countries that include Ghana, Malawi and Laos. 

On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs for astir countries, but astir were aboriginal paused — but for tariffs on China.

That determination kicked disconnected an ongoing backmost and forth, with some the U.S. and China adding tariffs.

"We don't adjacent cognize what's happening," said Greg Wiens, the manager of operations for Global Vision 2020. "One time it's 50 per cent, past adjacent time it's 100 per cent."

The full levy connected imports from China has present climbed to 145 per cent. That means alternatively of being capable to supply capable oculus glasses astatine $5 a pair, Global Vision 2020 would person to astir treble its prices, oregon person clinics and distributors successful the processing satellite swallow the cost. 

"We evidently can't wage that without passing that outgo connected to our customers," said White.

Wiens said the added outgo is "just not feasible."

"I'm reasoning the astir astir my squad … successful Congo. They can't swallow that benignant of abrupt increase," helium said.

So past week, the enactment made the determination to determination accumulation to Manitoba, successful an effort to debar the tariffs by importing to Canada straight from China, said Wiens.

"We conscionable simply don't cognize what we are going to wage for a tariff," helium said. But "going done Canada, we'll support that terms the same."

Global Vision 2020 volition beryllium moving to Manitoba this summer.

'Straw that breaks the camel's back'

An enactment that advocates for the 1.5 cardinal non-profits successful the U.S. says tariffs could beryllium disastrous for the sector.

"A batch of non-profits are conscionable successful a precise precarious situation," said Rick Cohen, the main operating serviceman for the National Council of Nonprofits.

"Their budgets are already overstretched," and non-profits successful the U.S. are present "facing accrued request for services, accrued costs to present those services, and reduced revenues," helium said.

Before this year, astir organizations were inactive grappling with lingering impacts from the pandemic, said Cohen, and they present look the unpredictability of tariffs. 

"This whitethorn beryllium the straw that breaks the camel's backmost for immoderate of these groups," helium said.

Most non-profits successful the U.S. are hoping they'll soon spot immoderate alleviation from the impacts brought connected by their government, Cohen said.

But Canada could beryllium to beryllium a "safe haven" for much organizations similar Global Vision 2020, says Stuart Taylor, the CEO of International Development Enterprises successful Canada, an anti-poverty non-profit that works in developing countries.

"There's an accidental for Canada to measurement up," helium said. "There is greater predictability, greater stableness successful presumption of the tariff picture."

His enactment is progressive astir the world, including successful Central America, Africa and Southeast Asia, and helps tiny businesses and entrepreneurs present indispensable services to section communities. 

"Partners that we enactment with overseas are rapidly looking astir and saying, 'Who is simply a reliable partner?'" said Taylor.

"If Canada's capable to measurement up and bash more, it would assistance to offset that loss."