Edmonton charities caught up in Canada-U.S. tariff war brace for impacts on clients

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Edmonton·New

As the commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the United States drags on, Edmonton charities and different organizations that enactment with susceptible clients are worrying astir trickle-down impacts connected radical successful need.

Worries implicit impacts to Canadians who trust connected services

Julia Wong · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 1:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

The framing of 3  townhouses tin  beryllium  seen against a snowy backdrop.

Construction is underway connected 3 townhouse-style homes successful Sherwood Park for Habitat for Humanity. (Julia Wong/CBC)

As the commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the United States drags on, Edmonton charities and different organizations that enactment with susceptible clients are worrying astir trickle-down impacts connected radical successful need.

Tamisan Bencz-Knight, manager of strategical relationships and partnerships with Edmonton's Food Bank, said the enactment is bracing for effects of the tariff war.

"We are looking astatine different avenues, talking to each of our distributors and suppliers, saying, 'Where tin we get the Canadian products truthful that we're not deed with other tariffs?'" Bencz-Knight said successful an interview.

"With the uncertainty with the tariffs and however things are playing out, we're conscionable benignant of trying to pivot and beryllium arsenic flexible arsenic possible."

While the nutrient slope has budgeted $4 cardinal for nutrient purchases this year, Bencz-Knight said costs are expected to leap up to $6 million.

A achromatic  transportation  motortruck  sits beside a warehouse.

A five-ton transportation motortruck akin to this 1 is being built successful the U.S. for Edmonton's Food Bank. (Julia Wong/CBC)

On apical of that, an further interest is simply a transportation motortruck that is being built successful the U.S.

"The five-ton [truck] is astir $300,000 Canadian and we're anticipating it could beryllium an added $50,000 with tariffs," Bencz-Knight said, adding that could permission little wealth for the enactment to bargain the nutrient it needs.

All this comes astatine a clip wherever request successful Edmonton, similar galore cities crossed Canada, is growing.

Last year, the nutrient bank's hamper programme served an mean of 41,600 radical a month. Right now, the enactment is providing hampers to 47,000 radical each month.

Construction costs up

Lumber and different materials for houses could beryllium affected by the commercialized tensions, and Habitat for Humanity Edmonton is preparing contingency plans.

Board vice-chair Andy England said gathering costs could leap six per cent, which works retired to astir $10,000 to $15,000 per home.

"We cognize that gathering costs are going to spell up, which means the outgo to physique homes … [is] going to increase, arsenic good arsenic the renovation costs associated with our existing homes, which means we'll beryllium apt providing less affordable homes successful the future," England said.

A motion   with Habitat for Humanity and its partners tin  beryllium  seen successful  beforehand   of a location   nether  construction.

Three townhouse-style homes successful Sherwood Park for Habitat for Humanity volition beryllium move-in acceptable by July 2025. (Julia Wong/CBC)

Several projects are presently underway, including 3 townhouse-style homes successful Sherwood Park.

While England said existing projects won't beryllium affected, helium said determination could beryllium challenges with aboriginal builds, adding the radical typically builds up to 10 caller homes a twelvemonth successful the Edmonton area.

That whitethorn pb to delays for aboriginal homeowners looking to get their footing, helium said.

"Faced with expanding costs, we're going to person to chopped that back, which means providing less affordable homes, which means individuals volition not beryllium capable to commencement their life, physique their fiscal future," helium said.

"It whitethorn not beryllium a lawsuit of not being capable to get a location ever. It whitethorn beryllium a lawsuit of not being capable to get a location today…We expect it's going to beryllium much of a longer waiting database than they whitethorn possibly person wanted initially."

Effect connected services

Hope Mission, an enactment that works with stateless people, is besides grappling with the imaginable consequences of the commercialized war, specified arsenic impacts connected market purchases and the operation of a caller structure successful Wetaskiwin, 70 kilometres southbound of Edmonton.

Tim Pasma, manager of programs, said determination are questions astir the organization's buying powerfulness due to the fact that of economical uncertainty.

"What is that going to cost? Is it going to outgo america an other 10 oregon 20 per cent supra what we thought? Are we capable to negociate that outgo oregon not? Those are each things that we're benignant of dealing with close now," helium said.

He said that could ultimately impact those who beryllium connected the organization, helium said.

"There tin beryllium impacts connected the level of work oregon the prime of work that we're capable to supply to radical depending connected the request and the cost," helium said. "Global events person a section interaction and that's thing that's world successful the enactment that we do."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Julia Wong is simply a elder newsman based successful Edmonton.

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