Canoes, cars, ice cream: London-area businesses face tariff turmoil

Andrew Lupton · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 4:00 AM EST | Last Updated: March 5

For the past fewer weeks astatine Nova Craft Canoe, income manager Steve Procunier has been paddling furiously. 

"With the tariffs hitting, we've had to bash galore trips to the States successful bid to get them to our dealers successful clip to bushed the tariffs," helium said. 

Since 1970, the institution has built fibreglass and carbon-fibre canoes astatine its mill successful eastbound London. They physique and merchantability astir 2,000 canoes successful a emblematic twelvemonth and administer them to retail dealers crossed North America and overseas.  

But since President Donald Trump took office, 2025 has been thing but a emblematic twelvemonth for Nova Craft and immoderate different section concern that trades with the United States.

On Tuesday Trump's 25 per cent tariffs connected most Canadian imports took effect. Ottawa has responded with counter-tariffs with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling the U.S. tariffs a "dumb" determination that volition wounded some countries. 

Monday at 6:30 p.m., Nova Craft had finished production on a batch of canoes for U.S. customers successful a bid to get them implicit the borderline earlier the tariffs kicked in. By 9:30 p.m. the load of canoes was crossing the borderline successful a trailer heading south.

The Trump tariffs took effect astatine 12:01 a.m. Tuesday.

The U.S. marketplace claims astir 20 per cent of Nova Craft's sales. It's a lawsuit basal the company, which has astir 40 employees, has nurtured cautiously implicit the years. 

"We person bully clients down there. I've known them for years, they've go bully friends," said Procunier, who travels to the U.S. regularly to present canoes.

"There are immoderate customers wherever I'm dealing with the lad aft dealing with the begetter for years who's present retired," helium said. 

He describes the tariffs as unnecessarily disruptive to Nova Craft and its customers.

"It is benignant of a gut-punch," helium said. 

Procunier said the tariffs won't halt him from selling to the U.S., but it volition unit the concern to pivot. 

"We'll conscionable person to find different markets," helium said. "Overseas has go beardown for america and Canada has go precise loyal. We've had tons of caller clients calling successful the past fewer months asking for Canadian-made canoes. So that's a bully sign." 

'Devastating' for Ontario's car industry

There are worries the U.S. tariffs could pb to shutdowns astatine section car plants. 

Mike Van Boekel is the works seat with Unifor Local 88 astatine General Motors' CAMI assembly works successful Ingersoll. He said the tariffs could beryllium "devastating" for Ontario's car industry. 

"I really deliberation the full manufacture could spell down wrong the adjacent week," helium said. "Obviously 90 per cent of our customers are successful the U.S. If they're going to commencement tacking that benignant of tariff, I deliberation the full manufacture mightiness conscionable unopen down precise quickly."  

In 2022 the works underwent an extended re-tooling to displacement from gathering the Chevy Equinox to the BrightDrop electric transportation van. 

The works is presently connected a scheduled two-week shutdown period, but is acceptable to resume accumulation connected March 17.  That would bring 1,300 employees backmost to work, but Van Boekel worries it present mightiness not happen.

He's calling connected Ottawa to guarantee wealth from immoderate employment security claims travel rapidly for employees whose income is disrupted by the tariffs.

"It truly hurts families erstwhile they're waiting weeks," helium said

Mark Gee is simply a CAMI idiosyncratic who's also worried the tariffs volition pb to a enactment stoppage. His woman was laid disconnected astatine the works 3 weeks ago. 

"There's a batch of upset members close now," helium said. "Everyone conscionable wants to get backmost and physique a prime vehicle. I'd similar to spot a two-shift cognition again. I'd similar to spot everyone backmost to enactment afloat time. Right now, it's conscionable a waiting game."

Ice pick shaper looks elsewhere for ingredients

Although helium doesn't merchantability a batch of crystal pick to the U.S. market, Ashley Chapman of Chapman's Ice Cream successful Markdale said the tariffs volition instrumentality a wound retired of his bottommost line. 

Many of Chapman's ingredients travel from southbound of the borderline and Canada's counter-tariffs — which helium supports — will marque those ingredients much expensive. 

"This is everlastingly going to alteration the narration betwixt Canada and the United States," helium said. 

He's now looking to root cherries from Spain oregon Italy, alternatively staying with his existent U.S. supplier. 

He's hoping that a solution tin beryllium recovered earlier the tariffs bash excessively overmuch harm to the economies of some countries.

"If this lasts for the adjacent mates of years past we're each going to beryllium successful a unsmooth place," helium said. "It's truthful insulting and counterproductive to each of america who are conscionable present starting to get backmost to normalcy aft the pandemic."