Trump’s tariff war with China forces U.S. non-profit’s escape to Winnipeg By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 6:06 PM CDT Tuesday, Apr. 22, 2025

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An American non-profit organization is moving its warehouse to Winnipeg in order to avoid crushing tariffs on the products it imports from China, and there are signs others will follow suit.

“We’re trying to figure out, ‘What’s the best way to keep the prices down?’” said Greg Wiens, director of operations at Global Vision 2020.

Importing Chinese-made eyeglass frames and lenses to the United States no longer seems feasible, Wiens said.

Until recently, Global Vision didn’t pay taxes or import duties on its bulk orders. Now, the non-profit faces a 145 per cent tariff — caught in the crossfire of a dramatic trade war between the United States and China.

U.S. President Donald Trump slapped the levy on Chinese imports earlier this month.

Global Vision 2020 supplies eyeglasses at the lowest possible cost to people in 64 countries, many of them in United Nations refugee camps in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Maryland-based operation is on track to export 250,000 pairs of glasses this year, as it did in 2024. It partners with groups on the ground which sell Global Vision 2020 products after being trained on the non-profit’s quick eye test and system using frames and snap-on lenses.

“This (tariff) would undermine the whole system,” Wiens said.

A team in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — who formerly lived in UN refugee camps — might sell glasses at $12 per pair after buying the goods through Global Vision 2020 for $5.

It’s a “sustainable living,” Wiens said.

“If I was getting them the glasses at $12 a pair, I don’t know how they’d keep going,” he said.

Leadership at Global Vision 2020 mused about moving their warehouse operations to Canada when Trump threatened 50 per cent tariffs against China on April 7.

The non-profit committed days later, after the levy threat surpassed 100 per cent. Wiens told Winnipeg-based International Development Enterprises Canada he was looking for roughly 2,000 square feet of warehouse space, and an appropriate space was secured.

Glasses will be sorted and exported globally from Winnipeg this summer, Wiens said. He’s expecting to hire a couple of Manitobans.

“This (tariff) would undermine the whole system.”–Greg Wiens, director of operations at Global Vision 2020

Both AJW Warehousing and RS Distribution Services Ltd. have clocked a jump in U.S.-based inquiries about their Manitoba warehouse space.

RS Distribution might get a couple of calls from south of the border in a typical year. There have been five over the past two months, said president René Saurette.

“Nobody is saying it, but you definitely can tell that it’s a result of the tariffs,” Saurette said. “A few of them are very… motivated to get deals finalized.”

He’s heard from distributors and companies in the automotive and agriculture sectors, he said. Some American firms face two tariffs — one while importing products from countries such as China, and another when exporting to Canada, if the goods fall under Canada’s tariff blanket.

Winnipeg’s centrality is an asset, Saurette said.

“It makes a lot of sense for these companies to consider it now,” he said.

Canadian clients of RS Distribution haven’t been shifting their storage south, he added.

“The groundwork is set. It’s a different ball game now, Canada-U.S. relations,” said Martin McGarry, chief executive of Winnipeg commercial real estate company CW Stevenson.

McGarry hasn’t noticed migration yet, but said he expects to see U.S. businesses move warehousing north as the tariffs continue.

Winnipeg’s 24-hour airport and CentrePort, a tri-modal inland port, are among the draws for distribution and manufacturing firms, he said.

Only a small proportion of American non-profits source materials outside the U.S. or have warehouses, noted Rick Cohen, chief operating officer of the National Council of Nonprofits, which represents more than 32,000 U.S. organizations.

Cohen predicted that Global Vision 2020 won’t be the only organization to move its warehouse north, although he doesn’t believe it will be a large number.

“I think there’ll be many companies looking to Canada.”–Martin McGarry, chief executive of  CW Stevenson

“Having the ability to pick things up, it would be challenging. Non-profits have very little margins,” he said. “Some groups are also waiting to see how things develop before making a big decision, a long-term decision.”

Non-profits are preparing for increased costs and building contingency plans. Unlike the private sector, non-profits can’t raise prices for the end consumer. And, in times of economic stress, donations plummet, Cohen said.

U.S. government funding cuts are also affecting the economy, he added.

Global Vision 2020 is on a “big hockey stick growth curve,” Wiens said.

“We’re just moving the warehouse over… because we see stability in Canada,” he said.

Global Vision 2020 will maintain its Maryland office — which is close to partner hospitals, including Johns Hopkins — and its small staff.

Wiens hopes to link Global Vision 2020 with Manitoba organizations to provide affordable eye care to northerners.

“We can fill gaps,” he said, adding the Winnipeg warehouse will make distribution convenient.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com