Maine-Canada border town businesses hurting thanks to tariffs on $6B trade relationship, bracing for it to ‘get worse’

President Donald Trump has rolled out his long-awaited tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, and the impact on Maine businesses is already being felt.

“Our metal roofing is going to go up 25%, as well as Sheetrock,” Ethan McGary, who works at Horten Building Supplies, told NBC News Center Maine.

The 25% import tax on Canadian goods, along with a 10% tax on energy imports, could have significant ripple effects in Maine, which traded nearly $6 billion with its northern neighbor last year.

“Prices are already high, so it’s just going to get worse,” McGary said.

McGary noted that the rising costs will make it harder to stock the usual amount of materials on shelves — and will drive up prices for customers hoping to start new projects or finish repairs.

“Contractors are going to have to raise their prices,” McGary said.

“Building the average home is going to cost more.”

Building supplies aren’t the only items being impacted by the tariffs.

Mitch Holmes, owner of Aroostook Auto Tech, has already noticed price hikes from last month’s proposed tariff increase, from 10% to 25%, on Canadian aluminum. With the new higher tariff rate now in place, he anticipates even higher costs for auto parts in the coming months.

“A lot of the undercarriage, a lot of your suspension components, engine blocks, cylinder heads — I’m seeing bottom-line invoice prices that I’ve never seen before,” Holmes said.

Houlton’s energy comes from New Brunswick Power, and locals are bracing for higher utility bills as a result.

“We just changed over our transmission lines, and everything was going smoothly, but we’re going to see those rates go up now,” Jane Torres, director of the Greater Houlton Chamber of Commerce, told News Center Maine.

Owner of Chadwick Florist and Greenhouses Tammy Malvie noted that flower prices have jumped 25%, which could lead to a drop in sales.

“We’re anticipating that spring sales will be down significantly,” Malvie said.

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