The Canadian and U.S. flags wave outside West Coast Duty Free Store near the Surrey, B.C. border crossing on April 2, 2025.Isabella Falsetti/The Globe and Mail
Just after noon on Wednesday, sales at the On the Run convenience store on the way to the Pacific Highway Border Crossing in Surrey, B.C. were 32 per cent less than they normally would be at that time.
Arjun Kamra, who owns the franchise with his wife, said the day before, he had to take a different road to get into work because there were so many trucks backed up along 176 Street, leading to the border.
But on the day of President Donald Trump’s much-anticipated tariff announcement, business was nearly non-existent. There was barely a single customer who Mr. Kamra said he didn’t recognize as a regular, most of whom are Canadians who live in the area.
“All my work I’ve already done, back end is already done, which normally I finish around six in the evening,” he said.
At the Pacific Border RV Park, manager Arsh Samra said it was similarly quiet — unlike the day before. On Tuesday, guests were having trouble entering the park because of how backed up truck traffic was. Mr. Samra said it seemed like everyone was trying to get their shipments across before the tariffs hit. Now, they’re sitting back and patiently waiting to see how it all plays out.
A short drive from the RV park, a group of customs brokers and executives for PCB Global Trade Management gathered in a dimly lit room at the back of The Derby Bar and Grill at 1 p.m. Together, they watched on six different televisions as Mr. Trump announced various tariffs to take effect Wednesday night on most of the U.S.’ international trading partners.
Canadian goods compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement will be exempt from tariffs, but non-compliant goods will continue to be taxed at 25-per-cent. And previously announced tariffs on autos and aluminum and steel will continue.
Greg Timm, chief executive officer of PCB, said he used to take in 40 new clients per day. Now, he’s regularly seeing up to 250 per day. “It’s confusion. It’s disruption. It’s anxiety. It’s uncertainty.”
His clients ship a wide range of goods, including seafood, produce and construction materials. In his 36 years in the business, he said he’s never seen a disruption in international trade quite like this one.
But Canadian businesses are resilient, he said. In the longer term, he expects they’ll weather the storm, emerge stronger than ever and even possibly become less reliant on the U.S. In the short-term, however, he’s bracing for impact.
Timm added that as someone who works in trade management, it’s often unclear how the orders coming out of the Whitehouse will apply to his work.
Most of the people grabbing coffees, filling up on gas or grabbing a bite to eat around the Surrey border crossing on Wednesday said they haven’t crossed the border in a while, and intend to keep it that way. Many of them shake their head even at the mention of Mr. Trump’s name or tariffs.
But for the few who have crossed recently, they said their experience has become increasingly unnerving. Mr. Timm, who regularly crosses the border for work, said more questions from border agents and a generally cooler reception have become the norm.
Back at the gas station, a Canadian and British Columbian flag fly proudly above a sign that reads “This station is Canadian owned and operated.”
The provincial flag has replaced an American flag, which Mr. Kamra said he took down when Mr. Trump initially announced tariffs.
“Because the customers, they were not happy, right? We wanted to support our country.”