Thurler Farms south of Ottawa produces 18,000 litres of milk a day. “We sell the milk to the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, and they send it wherever it needs to go,” said second-generation dairy farmer Nick Thurler. All of his milk is sent to a processing facility in Winchester and most of it ends up as cheese on Canadian store shelves, but the latest trade talks between Canada and the United States has Thurler worried about cutting his production. “It’s a very big concern because we already lost 18 per cent of our market share through a different trade deal. We can’t afford to lose any more of our market,” he said. New tariffs on Canadian goods were postponed Tuesday night, and Wednesday came with word of an imminent new trade deal between Canada and the U.S. with the possibility of tariffs on different sectors reduced. Thurler hopes that doesn’t come at the cost of dairy farmers. “It’s very frustrating because we only have so much milk to produce for the needs of the country, and when they take some away, then we don’t get those increases, we should get increases. If the demand goes up, it should come to us, not to other countries,” he said. Uncertainty impacting local economy The uncertainty of Canada’s economy is also having a direct impact on local businesses, according to the Ottawa Board of Trade “This level of unpredictability makes it difficult to know when to hire, when to invest, where your markets will be,” said Ottawa Board of Trade president and CEO Sueling Ching. Ching says many local businesses making up Ottawa’s economy do business with the United States and have integrated supply chains. She’s calling for a more permanent deal and one that would give Canada more autonomy. “We have to look for ways to support our own economy, with our own procurement, and then also to expand markets beyond the U.S. We always will have to count on the U.S., but beyond the U.S. for businesses as well.” Thurler worries about the uncertain nature of the trading relationship. “[President Donald Trump] says the thing one day and next day is different,” said Thurler. “We don’t pay too much attention. But when it comes down to the wire, there’s something that’s going to have to happen.”
