DEREK GRATZ
KELOWNA – The US Consul General for British Columbia and Yukon, Mr. Shawn Crowley, met with twenty business leaders at the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce.
In a wide-ranging discussion, topics ranging from tariffs to CUSMA, softwood lumber to the Columbia River Treaty were tabled, reviewed, and debated. Senior business leaders from Kelowna, West Kelowna, Vernon and Salmon Arm were at the table.
The tension and pressure points of ongoing uncertainty over Canada-U.S. trade were at the heart of much of the dialogue. The two-hour Roundtable aired multiple issues which ranged from the overall challenges of making investments in an era of trade uncertainty to how travel was affected and where to build the next manufacturing plant.
Derek Gratz, Chamber President, said “It was an excellent opportunity to exchange information, and ensure that both sides are hearing facts about the realities and challenges of cross-border trade in a period that is defined as much by political tension as the real challenges export-focused companies face every day.”
Over $25B U.S. a day is traded across the Canada-U.S. border, as Canada continues to export 70% of its overall international trade value in goods and services to the U.S. The 2025 growth of inbound travel from the U.S. was highlighted, and the drop of travel outbound from Canada to the U.S. As well, the emphasis on businesses looking beyond the U.S. to diversify trade channels was emphasized, with the attendant modest growth and/or change to be realized through international diversification.
The Kelowna Chamber was commended for its July campaign “Kelowna: A Warm Canadian Welcome – We share more than just a border.” After two hours of airing issues and solutions, the bottom line was that the most promising path forward as we approach the CUSMA deadline of July 1, 2026, is to talk and negotiate, and ensure the ties between Canada and the US remain secure.
Derek Gratz is President of the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce
