Kamloops, in British Columbia’s sunny southern interior, is known for many things. It was historically a mill town, it is marketed as Canada’s Tournament Capital, and it sparked a nationwide conversation on residential schools.
Now, an unexpected new title -- one of Canada’s least vulnerable cities to U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
“I was just surprised to see us on any list,” smiled Acacia Pangilinan, the executive director of the local chamber of commerce.
The city’s newly discovered status as a community well-positioned to withstand a drop in American-based business is based on a study by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
Kamloops is identified as being much less reliant on exports to the U.S. than the average Canadian city with a population exceeding 100,000.
Pangilinan credits that to diversification over the past two decades.
“There are two big mines in the area, which are major employers for our community. We still have a very active mill, and they will have some exposure to the United States but also have diverse trading partners,” she told CTV News. “We’ve seen an explosion in tourism businesses, technology business, arts and culture and professional services - things like accountants and lawyers.”
There are several coastal Canadian communities cited in the report, which is based on Statistics Canada data, as being somewhat insulated against a trade war with the U.S. due to their increased access to trading partners in Asia and Europe.
In the west, cities considered less vulnerable include Nanaimo and Victoria, B.C. and Halifax, N.S. in the east. Sudbury is an outlier among Ontario communities at risk due to the auto sector and tops the list of tariff-insulated towns. That is being attributed to its international exports of nickel and copper.
In Kamloops, the business community knows being well-positioned to absorb a U.S. trade blow does not mean residents won’t share in the nationwide fallout from rising prices and a potential recession.
“I don’t think anywhere is immune, but I think because of our diversified economy we have a buffer,” Pangilinan said, adding it is as important right now in Kamloops as anywhere in the country for people to support local businesses trying to survive during this period of so much uncertainty.
