Southern Manitoba is a vital agricultural region helping to feed the world, but it’s also a growing manufacturing mecca that’s on pins and needles in the face of Trump’s so-called ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs on goods that come from Canada.
Farm equipment, off-road vehicles, RV parts, cabinets, industrial canvass products, medical equipment and portable washrooms are just a few of the goods made in the Winkler-Morden area alone.
The population sits under 25,000 and the unemployment rate is around 3 per cent — half the national average. Manufacturing plays a large role in that.
“Per capita they very much punch above their weight when it comes to the manufacturing community,” says Terry Shaw, regional VP of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters.
Not surprisingly, the area — just a 20-minute drive to the U.S. border — has been stunned by the sudden chill in Canada/U.S. relations and impending trade war.
“A lot of companies in this area sell primarily to the U.S. — 80 to 100 per cent — and they’re bringing up the raw materials from the U.S. Those companies could potentially be devastated,” says Cheryl Digby, CEO of Keltek Safety Apparel in Morden. They manufacture fire-resistant clothing for primarily for the oil and gas and mining sectors caught in the crossfire of the tariff tug-o-war.
Keltek shifted to Canadian-made materials and is buffered in that regard, but new tariffs have them putting expansion on hold.
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“We were hoping to be moving more into the U.S. markets especially with some of our women’s (personal protective equipment). That probably will be paused temporarily,” Digby says.
“Another downside is our customers may not be making some major purchasing decisions.”
Pure Anada has been in the cosmetics, skin and hair care manufacturing business for two decades, selling under their own label, but making products for other brands too.
“We do have some American retailers, and I’m not sure if they’ll continue on with us if they’re slapped with a tariff for importing our product but what I’m hoping is they just love our product and working with us, that it may not matter so much,” says Candace Grenier, founder of Pure Anada. “We’ll see.”
‘Wait and see’ is the purgatory the entire industry is trapped in.
“Manitoba is a manufacturing centre. One out of every $10 generated through Manitoba’s economy comes courtesy of a manufacturer,” Shaw says.
“1,400 companies employing 70,000 Manitobans generating $26 billion in annual sales, and paying above-average wages, it’s a key economic driver of our province.”
Both Keltek and Pure Anada are among those who’ve found unexpected refuge in the ‘Elbows Up’ war cry to buy Canadian.
“Canadians are really coming together to support Canadian and that’s what I love ,” says Grenier at her factory near Miami, Man. which has seen a boom in orders since trade war talk began.
Keltek is feeling the love too.
“Now we’re seeing a shift to supporting Canadian-made, so I think this will actually work in our favor,” Digby says.
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