Tariffs tilt the table at Montreal pinball business

For a pinball bar operator in Montreal, the tariff war between Canada and the U.S. is creating a maze of new costs.

It’s a high-stakes game for Mike Loftus keeping the ball rolling at his pinball business.

U.S. tariffs and Canada’s reciprocal measures mean the entrepreneur and his customers are navigating a maze of new costs.

“It’s pretty well hitting us at every angle,” says Loftus, who owns Pinball Medics. “We’ve experienced about a 75 to 80 per cent decrease in sales.”

He says the price to purchase machine parts from the U.S. has increased by 25 per cent.

Things like coils made of copper, balls made of metal and flipper bats made with steel -- all costs he has no choice but to pass on to clients.

“I would be literally selling the parts at a loss to absorb that 25 per cent tariff,” Loftus says. “But it’s kind of like playing a game of Baccarat because we don’t know what the tariffs are going to be tomorrow or the next day.”

That uncertainty is creating more setbacks.

Loftus has stopped selling brand new pinball machines. Before tariffs, they retailed for at least $10,000.

Now the price tag is more than $12,500, a cost most customers aren’t willing to pay in case tariffs are lifted.

“It makes you think twice or three times before shelling out that kind of money,” says Steve Tremblay, a pinball enthusiast.

His pinball collection started with a family gift on his 50th birthday.

Tremblay is worried that providers like Loftus will be priced out, and he’ll lose the convenience of a local shop.

Despite the bumps, fans are determined to keep the lights flashing and flippers flying.

“The death of pinball has been foretold several times and yet it’s still standing,” Tremblay says.

The hope is the tariff war will end soon.

They aren’t ready to power down their passion for pinball.

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U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs on trading partners are set to take effect on April 2, a day he has proclaimed as “Liberation Day” for American trade. CTV News will have extensive coverage across all platforms:

• CTVNews.ca will have in-depth coverage, real-time updates, and expert analysis on what the tariffs will mean for Canadians.
• CP24.com will report on any developments out of Queen’s Park and what the tariffs means for the people of the GTHA.
• BNNBloomberg.ca will explain what this means for the business community, investors, and the market.