US TARIFFS – WHAT CRANBROOK CHAMBER MEMBERS NEED TO KNOW
UPDATE – September 1, 2026
1. Am I Affected?
• Canada Tariff Finder: Use this tool to identify import and export tariff rates for specific products and markets. It can help determine whether your products may be affected by tariffs and provide a starting point for assessing potential cost impacts.
• Best for: Businesses trying to determine whether tariffs affect their products.
2. What Supports Might I Qualify For?
• Business Benefits Finder: This Government of Canada tool provides a customized list of grants, financing programs, advisory services, and other supports based on your business profile and needs. Once you sign in, answer the questions, and look for the ‘Tariff Support’ section highlighted in RED.
• Best for: Businesses unsure where to start or what programs they may qualify for.
3. What BC Supports and Resources are Available?
• Government of British Columbia: Tariff Information for Businesses: Provides BC-specific information, updates, business resources, and supports related to tariffs and trade impacts.
• Best for: Businesses looking for BC-focused resources and information.
4. What Federal Supports are Available?
• FEDERAL: Government of Canada: Support for Canadian Workers and Employers Affected by U.S. Tariffs: This federal resource outlines measures available to help businesses and workers respond to tariff-related impacts, including workforce, training, financing, and other support initiatives.
• Best for: Businesses looking for a comprehensive overview of federal tariff-response measures.
5. How Do I Diversify and Find New Markets?
• Trade Commissioner Service: Connects Canadian businesses with trade experts, market intelligence, funding opportunities, and international business contacts to support growth and diversification.
• Best for: Businesses looking to diversify beyond their current markets or expand internationally.
Trade talks between Canada and the US broke down Friday night, and as of Saturday morning, 50 per cent tariffs are in effect on roughly $27 billion CAD of Canadian goods.
BC is more exposed than any other province in this round, and Canada’s counter-tariffs arrive September 8, which will raise costs for businesses that import from the US.
Your membership fees to the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce help to fund our membership to the BC Chamber of Commerce, giving us access to increased manpower and support on major issues as they arise.
The BC Chamber of Commerce has provided an explainer, covering which sectors are affected, where the impacts concentrate in BC, and practical steps businesses can take. It was prepared earlier this month, before talks collapsed, so the tariffs it describes as coming are now in effect, and the sector picture it lays out is the one we’re now living in.
TWO THINGS YOU CAN DO TODAY
If your business is affected in either direction, losing US customers or facing higher costs on US inputs, raise your hand here. It takes two minutes. The BC Chamber network is collecting real stories from affected businesses across the province to put in front of government as supports are shaped, and to bring willing businesses into roundtables as those come together.
And tell us directly. Let us know what you’re seeing, even briefly. What our members report is what we carry forward, and the Cranbrook Chamber of Commerce is your closest point of contact through all of this.
Contact Us
The chamber network across BC is coordinating on this daily, including work on connecting BC businesses with new customers and suppliers in other provinces. More resources are coming this week, and we’ll share them as they land.