Business life during trade wartime ‘Solidarity’ rallying cry echoes across sectors but full tariffs information lacking By: Gabrielle Piché Posted: 6:56 PM CST Wednesday, Mar. 5, 2025

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/03/2025 (578 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Currently not available: bourbon cocktails and California wine at 529 Wellington.

The Winnipeg steakhouse’s parent company, Wow Hospitality, has pulled American liquor from its menus.

“It’s a bit of a protest situation for us,” said Doug Stephen, Wow Hospitality president.

His staff boxed up roughly $500,000 worth of alcohol across six restaurants as the reality of a trade war sunk in.

Across the province, businesses are preparing for 25 per cent tariffs on American imports and their own exports to the United States. Manitoba pulled U.S. alcohol from Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Corp. shelves Tuesday in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s sweeping levies.

Wow Hospitality has followed suit “in solidarity,” Stephen said. It’s a big decision — 40 per cent of 529 Wellington’s wine menu is sourced from the U.S.

Bottles from Canada, Australia and other countries will now fill the gaps.

Wow Hospitality is likely the exception, not the rule, per the Manitoba Restaurant & Foodservices Association.

“When we purchase our products, we’ve got thousands and thousands of dollars … sitting on the shelf,” said executive director Shaun Jeffrey.

Given eateries’ tight margins and the cost of replacing liquor, pulling U.S. alcohol companies have already bought isn’t reasonable, Jeffrey added.

Kieu Nguyen expects to offer U.S. wine for the next month or two at Rosé Coffee and Wine Bar. Come summer, she’ll change her menu — and U.S. products won’t be included.

“It’s quite stressful because we don’t really know what’s going on anymore with the States,” Nguyen said, adding it’s best to pause orders.

Canadian alcohol and food supply chains will be tested amid the increased demand, Jeffrey predicted.

‘Unexpected’ financial hit

Ashley Newton is among the local entrepreneurs bracing for tariff impact. She has equipment for her new crematorium coming from Florida this May. She placed the down payment on the cremation retort, or chamber, a year ago.

If all had gone according to plan, Alterna Cremation’s building would’ve seen a 2024 construction start. Paperwork and business protocols took longer than expected, Newton said.

Now, she’s expecting to pay $62,000 in tariffs for the retort.

“It’s not insurmountable,” Newton said. “But it’s definitely unexpected and it’s definitely going to make things a little tighter than I was anticipating.”

She’s on the receiving end of retaliatory tariffs Canada imposed Tuesday. The country introduced 25 per cent levies on $30 billion worth of American products; in three weeks, new tariffs affecting $125 billion in U.S. goods could be introduced.

It follows the implementation of 25 per cent tariffs on most Canadian imports. Canadian energy is under a 10 per cent tariff.

Though Newton finds the situation “frustrating,” she’s not angry with the federal government. There are a couple of Canadian alternatives for the retort, but she’s already placed her down payment and the wait time for the Ontario supplier she’s eyed is lengthy.

“With Trump already talking about retaliatory tariffs to our retaliatory tariffs, then who knows what we’ll be looking at?”

Tariff info ‘trickle’

Amanda Wiens must go brand by brand through Wiens Furniture to determine how the products she sells will be impacted by tariffs.

The Niverville shop is stocking Canadian makers where it can, Wiens said, but not everything can be sourced at home.

So dishwashers, stoves — items slapped with Canadian and American tariffs — will be discussed with brand representatives. Often, products are built in both countries, making future pricing murky, Wiens said.

“Information is just going to trickle in as it becomes available,” she said, adding everything depends on the length of the trade war.

The provincial government has unveiled payroll and retail sales tax deferrals for Manitoba businesses affected by tariffs; companies can choose to opt in.

Wiens hadn’t looked at the details Wednesday. She has 25 employees; the payroll tax affects companies with annual payrolls of at least $2.25 million.

“Anything that’s going to help businesses from a cash flow perspective in the short-term … will be helpful,” Wiens said. “Long term, we’re going to have to look at … how we create a strong economy overall.”

Loren Remillard, the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce’s president, echoed her comments.

The tax deferral plan is good “in the current context,” Remillard said. Should the trade war prolong, different supports for businesses will be necessary, he added.

He highlighted COVID-19 pandemic-era offerings like emergency business accounts and direct wage subsidies.

“It’s early days,” Remillard said. “We don’t want to jump into that immediately.”

Manitoba will review its tax deferral plan in three months, Premier Wab Kinew said Tuesday.

Discussions about future programs should be happening now, Remillard said: “We don’t want to be having that conversation three months from now.”

It’s an important topic for all levels of government, he underscored.

Removing interprovincial trade barriers, working to diversify export markets and ensuring stable supply chains for goods movement should be top priorities, Remillard said. The chamber is calling for the province’s next budget to include funding for programs spurring artificial intelligence adoption among local businesses.

“Our goal is to keep those companies firmly rooted in (Canada), along with … hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country that are at risk,” Remillard said.

The Indigenous Chamber of Commerce Manitoba has spent the past few weeks meeting with financial institutions and government officials, advocating for greater supports for Indigenous companies.

Some $27.7 billion could be generated nationally by closing the gap in economic opportunity for Indigenous people, said Renee Greyeyes, chamber chief executive. Indigenous entrepreneurs could be “part of the solution” to the trade war, she added: “When part of that solution is sitting right in your backyard, I think that’s where our attention needs to be.”

The chamber is advocating for more Indigenous procurement at various government levels and is working on partnerships with financial institutions so entrepreneurs have access to funding. It’s calling for greater investment in Indigenous supply chains.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com