Edmonton area businesses bracing for immediate impact of U.S. tariffs

The next time you visit the grocery store, expect to see higher prices due to U.S. tariffs and Canadian retaliation.

Produce importers say they are already feeling the impact.

“We feel the impacts of these things right away,” said Craig Mackenzie, president of Fresh Forward.

The president of Edmonton based Fresh Forward has already started looking to other countries to bring produce to Edmonton to avoid the 25 per cent tax.

Trying to secure more citrus from Egypt, Morrocco, Spain or Mexico.

Mackenzie says he won’t be able to avoid American products because stores can’t have empty shelves or sacrifice quality.

“Because food is such a critical item, not a luxury, I was hoping that maybe food would be the last thing impacted by tariffs,” said Mackenzie.

Shoppers in Edmonton tell CityNews, they’re closely watching their grocery bill as much as they can.

“It’s getting hard to decide what you’re going to buy,” said one local.

“These are daily living items, you can’t buy them and stock them, so I think you just have to accept it,” said another local.

Meanwhile, in Leduc county,  the Rig Hand Craft distillery says producing their local sprits, may be more complicated, as some major deals with suppliers are in the United States and are now stuck in limbo.

“My hope is that this is going to be very short-lived thing that lasts for a week or two,” said Geoff Stewart, founder of Rig Hand Craft Distillery.

Stewart says he’s already lost a $140,000 deal with a supplier in Alaska and talks with a California company have ended until the tariffs disappear.

Rig Hand also relies on a cream product that comes exclusively from the U.S to avoid the increased import tax. He bought two months supply ahead of time, not wanting to talk about increasing prices, for now.

“I don’t have a crystal ball,” said Stewart. “All I know is that I need to be able to pay my mortgage payment at the end of the month and need to be able to pay my staff, and if we’re not making enough to do that, we need to make adjustments.”