Local businesses, charities brace for impact from tariffs on food

The tariff war with the U.S. is hitting the local economy in different ways, but some small businesses and charities say it’s not all bad.

At the Strathcona Market in Hamilton, a local grocery store, the push to buy Canadian products is being felt.

Rachel Henderson, owner of the market, says that tariffs are a hot topic, with people having conversations about what they consider is local, “what is Canadian?”

“We have a lot of new folks coming through, checking out what we do here – we have always focused on local – we are also removing some American products that we have as well,” she said.

Justin Abbiss, executive director at the Fair Finance Fund and co-founder of Mrktbox Inc., said, “for every dollar that you spend locally at a small independent business, that multiplies two to four times locally in the economy.”

While tariff talks may be encouraging some people to shop local, others are bracing for impact, especially when it comes to charities.

Karen Randell, executive director of Food for Life, says, “the concern we have is how it’s going to impact the community, who are already experiencing food insecurity and also households who have never had to worry about food – who may be facing job loss and lay-offs. Who may be turning to food support programs for the first time.”

At St. Matthews House in Hamilton, they say the uncertainty of the tariffs is already having an impact.

Andrew Matthews, senior supports manager at St. Matthews House, said “it’s definitely impacting our ability to plan, so with food banks, and a program like this where we are serving lunch to people, food prices have been going up. Every dollar counts, and with this ‘will it happen, won’t it happen’.”

While the tariff war continues along with the uncertainty, some say – for now, the least we can do is shop local.

“Overall, the silver lining of all this is, it has allowed people to appreciate Canadian,” said Henderson of Strathcona Market.