Reeve for the RM of Swift Current on tariffs

It's not just the municipal leaders feeling the pressure of the proposed tariffs from the United States. 

Even the RM of Swift Current has been feeling the tension. The RM is home to many agricultural producers and ag-related entities, which are all nervous about what may happen once President Trump implements a broad spectrum 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods. 

Agriculture depends on the U.S. as a trading partner, as the southern border takes in a little over 60 per cent of all Canadian agriculture exports. Even when it comes to imports, the U.S. supplies nearly 57 per cent of everything agricultural that Canadians buy. 

Romona Dyck, Reeve for the RM of Swift Current, is certain that the impact will be unavoidable in many instances. 

"Tariffs are definitely gonna affect our bottom line," said Dyck. "We do a lot of trade with the United States as producers and just having the fear of that being taken out of our market or diminished in our market and having to market some of those products in other areas of the world, it is a great concern."

Dyck is hopeful that the tariffs won't be implemented, and the U.S. realizes just how damaging that would be to not only Canada but to themselves. 

For her part as the Reeve, Dyck is still working to figure out how the tariffs could impact the RM itself. Things like road maintenance, ditches, and other infrastructure are all maintained through taxation. If the tariffs raise the cost of the materials and equipment used, while her constituents are already bearing the cost of the tariffs, it may become difficult to reach a balancing point on those taxes.