Announced in mid-July, a new 50% tariff on Canadian goods, including lumber, will go into effect on Aug. 19, 2026. That is, unless the two countries strike a different deal in a week.
As first reported by North Country Public Radio (NCPR) in Canton, New York, a community close to the Canadian Border is preparing for the effects.
James Putman, owner of JP Building Supply, which provides local homebuilders and contractors with building materials and lumber, noted that even though his business was doing well, he imports about a third of his supply from Canada.
“That’s going to affect us tremendously,” Putman told NCPR. “If things bump up 50%, we have to add on 50% because we’ve got to put it onto the customer. And that’s just going to push everything else up.”
Trade with our neighbors up north has largely affected the building industry over the past year, with duties originally expected to drop this past summer.
