REGINA - Businesses across Sask. are facing the reality of 25 per cent tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday.
"I was hopeful that it wasn't going to happen and that it was just a bluff," said Carly Patryluk, owner of House of Paws.
Patryluk admitted she is a little concerned regarding what the impacts of the tariffs will have for buying products from distributors in the U.S. and having to increase the retail prices of the goods.
Additionally, nearly 10 per cent of House of Paws products come from non-distributors in the U.S., meaning they will have to pay 25 per cent more of the costs on top of paying for shipping and duties.
Patryluk sources products from non-distributors "because we're looking to carry quality products, you know, the best of the best, and sometimes they're not available in Canada [and] also we want to carry those unique options that no other stores carry, so that [the] people of Regina have a spot to come get those kind of really unique items."
While Patryluk is all for buying local, as she’s put up Canadian logos to indicate what products are Canadian and has revamped her website to include a 'Made in Canada' section, she admitted her focus is on selling products that are in the best interest of a pet's health, whether it comes from Canada or the U.S.
"Not all pet food is created equally [in each country], so we have set a very high standard for what we choose to carry."
Before she even opened her store, Patryluk made sure she would sell products that would have a positive impact on pets' health.
One concern she has with the tariffs is pet owners choosing Canadian products over better quality foods for their pets.
"The animals' health should come [first] before anything else." She added, "I am fearful that the average pet parent probably doesn't have a really detailed understanding of what goes into kibble."
Patryluk clarified she wasn’t trying to slam pet owners but wanted to make people understand that kibble can have "a high amount of carbs and low quality protein in their mixture. This is not a good food for an animal."
She believes this will have a real impact on the pet industry if the tariffs last for months because "we're literally dealing with living creatures."
With the tension between Canada and the U.S., Patryluk is "hoping that the government will go out and start making different trade agreements with other countries."
Patryluk understands the importance of trading with Canada’s neighbour but feels "the government has to make it easier for us to trade across provinces or to ship across provinces or to support our country instead of segregating us into provincial areas."
