Grocers say prices in some northern communities protected from tariffs, for now

Liny Lamberink · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 05, 2025 3:20 PM EST | Last Updated: March 5

Two market chains that service the North accidental stores successful distant communities that trust connected large, infrequent shipments of non-perishable goods are shielded from the effects of Canadian counter-tariffs – astatine least, for now.

Stores operated by the Northwest Company successful the Sahtu and Beaufort Delta portion of the N.W.T., for example, person conscionable filled their warehouses with goods for the upcoming play utilizing the wintertime road, said Mike Beaulieu, the company's vice president of Canadian store operations. 

"Those goods person each been purchased agelong earlier immoderate of this tariff nonsense started, and those goods are successful our warehouse and acceptable to service communities for the upcoming year," helium said. 

Beaulieu said those stores typically rely connected the wintertime roadworthy and the summertime barge play to haul successful goods, but aft immoderate barge trips were called disconnected successful 2023 and the full play was cancelled successful 2024 due to the fact that of debased water, it's readying to trust much connected the wintertime roadworthy season. 

Duane Wilson, the vice president of stakeholder relations for Arctic Co-operatives which has a web of 32 assemblage co-op businesses in the 3 territories, said stores that trust connected oversea lifts besides person a "buffer" from the tariffs. 

But, helium pointed out, what gives distant communities extortion present mightiness wounded aboriginal down the road. If a store wants to load up connected a year's worthy of shelf-stable goods to trim proscription costs portion Canadian counter-tariffs are inactive successful spot – it would beryllium locking successful that higher terms for the amended portion of the year. 

Where you'll consciousness the pinch astatine the market store

Michael von Massow, a nutrient economist astatine the University of Guelph successful Ontario, says Canadian counter-tariffs enactment connected 30 cardinal dollars' worthy of American goods imported into the state person been chosen strategically. 

For example, helium said, determination are present tariffs connected American dairy products which "represents a precise tiny proportionality [of dairy products successful Canada]." 

He said helium doesn't expect to spot overmuch interaction from those tariffs connected Canadian consumers due to the fact that determination are plentifulness of Canadian products to take from that won't beryllium much expensive. 

For different goods and products – similar oranges and grapefruits – determination isn't a Canadian enactment to choose.

Von Massow said his household has swapped for Turkish oregon Moroccan oranges instead. They're besides choosing to devour Canadian nutrient that's successful play arsenic well, choosing locally-grown carrots, beets and potatoes implicit broccoli and Brussels sprouts. 

Von Massow doesn't expect prices to alteration overmuch astatine market stores unless a 2nd circular of Canadian counter-tariffs takes effect arsenic promised successful 3 weeks. 

Moshe Lander, a elder lecturer successful the section of economics astatine Concordia University successful Montreal, said the effect of tariffs volition beryllium connected however agelong they last. 

"If this is simply going to beryllium a week and they spell away, possibly Loblaws eats it connected the bottommost enactment successful the sanction of user loyalty," helium said. But if grocers deliberation the tariffs volition past for an indefinite play of time, helium said, they're going to walk it connected to consumers. 

Lander said the effects of tariffs volition commencement successful the nutrient conception and enactment its mode into the bakery, the dairy section, and yet into nutrient products arsenic well. Both Lander and von Massow said that Canada has a thriving poultry manufacture of its own. 

Von Mossow said portion Canada has its ain pork and beef manufacture too, those products mightiness question to the States for processing earlier winding backmost successful Canada, making it hard to specify them as American oregon Canadian products. 

But, Lander said, bluish communities recognize amended than confederate Canada the value of proviso chains and what the smallest of disruptions tin do.

"Northern communities mightiness endure conscionable similar everybody else, but they mightiness beryllium a small much equipped" to woody with it, helium said.