With new tariffs taking effect after Canada and the U.S failed to reach a trade deal, a local tariff expert broke down what it means for Simcoe County and Muskoka. Weeks of intense talks between Prime Minister Mark Carney and President Donald Trump came down to the final hour Friday evening before the midnight deadline. But no trade deal means 50 per cent tariffs on $28 billion-worth of Canadian goods are now in effect. In Simcoe County, Kyle Peacock, Principal of Orillia-based Peacock Tariff Consulting, says the scope of impact is ‘much wider’ than the automotive, dairy and alcohol sectors. “It goes to furniture products, paper products, plastic products, cement building materials,” explained Peacock in a Zoom interview with CTV News. “Then we get into some of the, I’d say, more Canadian based products. So your hockey equipment, sporting goods, fishing equipment, household and consumer goods, chemicals and industrial products.” Peacock then detailed how the tariffs affect the entire supply chain for local manufacturers. “These goods could have 50 per cent on the raw materials coming in and 50 per cent going out on the finished good product, which will affect some of the large retailers around here and manufacturers, the ones that do automotive parts. I think of all the Magna plants, Honda, the large infrastructure around here,” he continued, adding that the same applies for Simcoe Muskoka’s strong craft alcohol industries that depend on aluminum. “It’s not good news for our region and southern Ontario and a whole.” Reaction to the tariffs taking effect has continued pouring in from both the Canadian and American sides, including the premiers. The Prime Minister announced retaliatory tariffs in his remarks at a press conference Saturday in Ottawa. With files from CTV’s Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos and CTV’s Stephanie Ha.
