‘Huge impact’: Business owner grateful for removal of counter-tariffs

Canada is set to remove counter-tariffs on U.S. CUSMA-compliant goods on Monday, a move that will please at least one Saskatchewan business.

For Kelvin Fellner, the removal comes as a big relief, given that his business specializes in selling American goods.

Fellner and his girlfriend own Hugsy’s Place in Martensville, which offers things like snacks and drinks that can’t be easily found in Canada.

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Lifting the tariffs will save Fellner money and time from doing paperwork.

“(We pay) 25 per cent and then we pay the exchange rate and also five per cent GST at the border, and then we’ve got our state tax and whatnot. So we’re spending 40 per cent extra with everything, so taking 25 off next week is going to make a huge impact on us for the better,” Fellner told 980 CJME on Wednesday.

“We are going to be lowering a few prices that we did put up to make up for the 25 per cent… I think it’s going to really help us a lot.”

Hugsy’s Place in Martensville specializes in American goods that are typically hard to come by in regular shops. (Hugsy’s Place Facebook)

Fellner said the introduction of tariffs caused his business a lot of havoc, which caused them to pass some of the costs onto the consumer, although the business itself didn’t drop.

The Hugsy’s co-owner said he is hoping for positive relations between Canada and the U.S.

“We’re going to keep going. I’ve been doing this for about six years and we’re not stopping now,” Fellner said.

“We just look at it as a little hiccup along the way, but I think everything will be ironed out within the next two weeks, once we get everything back on track.”

Premier Scott Moe glad to see tariffs removed

As a longtime opponent of counter-tariff measures, Premier Scott Moe said he was glad to see Canada remove the retaliatory tariffs.

“I have always said since day one – and I did begrudgingly support the initiative at the time – but I’ve always said that if Donald Trump’s tariffs on products coming in will only hurt American businesses and American families, it only holds and stands to reason that counter tariffs on products coming into Canada and Saskatchewan are only going to have a negative financial impact on Canadian businesses and Canadian families,” Moe told reporters.

Moe said the removal of the counter-tariffs is a step towards “free and fair” open market access with the U.S.

– With files from 980 CJME’s Lisa Schick