The Tariffs Are Real

The sun was shining on this glorious Saturday as I awoke far earlier than I normally would have in an effort to get one major task crossed off my list. As you may have heard on The Hockey Show this past week, we're gearing up for another edition of Survivor: NHL Playoffs that will start on April 17. Prizes are being collected and organized as you read this, but one was shipped to the border due to the sender not willing to send it into Canada via one of the delivery services. In saying that, it became road trip day for me!

I've made this trip countless times with little trouble as I passed by the towns of Altona and Gretna to approach the Canada-US border crossing. The port of entry just north of Neche, North Dakota usually isn't very busy, and today was no different as I appeared to be the only vehicle heading to the US side of the border. I wasn't expecting any sort of major delays as we pulled up to the window to speak to the border crossing guard, but the rules have changed, it seems.

For the first time ever in my entire life, I was asked to turn the car off and unlock the doors as the border agent took a look inside both the back seat and the hatch of my SUV. His questions weren't any different as I was expecting those, but I guess the new tariffs are forcing the border agents to be far more vigilant in ensuring things aren't brought across the border without having the applicable checks and balances completed. I had nothing that was being left in the US, but I would imagine that some people try to bring things like food, clothing, and other goods into the United States.

After being let through to the US side of the coin, I proceeded to the parcel service that was holding the package that had been sent. $3 later, I had the package in my hands and was heading back to the border to head into Canada. My total time in the US was about 20 minutes with 15 of those minutes being used to wait in the car for the parcel service to open. In any case, my quest was successful.

Arriving at the Canadian side of the border, though, was a little more costly. Thanks to the reciprocal tariffs placed on goods coming into Canada, the Canadian border agents determined that I needed to cough up a little cash to bring the package into Canada. Thanks to its place of manufacturing, the tariff cost was 17% rather than being the 25% an item would have cost had it been made in the US, so I guess I got a bit of a discount? In any case, with taxes and duty, the package cost me an additional $43. So much for free trade, right?

The good news is that the two grand prizes have now been secured for the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest. I also got a nice three-hour road trip into my day, and I still had lots of time to get some work done around the house. With summer quickly approaching, driving in the warm sunlight was a nice change from having to blast the heat in car like I did when making that run to the border in the winter.

Let this drive in the sun to the border be a quick reminder that all deliveries coming from the US may required additional cash for them to be released as the tariffs are certainly being applied. This is just another reminder to buy Canadian, folks, whenever you can. Or, if you're American and reading this, buy American so you're not hit with these idiotic costs either. The extra costs aren't worth it.

Remember, the Survivor: NHL Playoffs contest starts on April 17!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!