PAGE 5
PAGE 11-13
Logan Lake mayor says expansion of Highland Valley Copper will be good for community.
February focuses on ending bullying – start the conversation, spread kindness.
HIGHLAND VALLEY COPPER THURSDAY, FEB. 13, 2025
ANTI-BULLYING
merrittherald.com | x.com/merrittherald
E S T. 1 9 0 5
Want news straight to your inbox? Scan the QR code to subscribe to our daily newsletter.
FREE
TARIFFS COULD RAISE HOUSING COSTS IN MERRITT, EXPERT WARNS TY LIM
reporter@merrittherald.com
A Merritt real-estate group is providing insight into how American and Canadian tariff dispute can impact housing. As part of the ongoing trade war between the US and Canada, the prices of imported goods are expected to rise on both sides of the border. In one of the more recent parts of Trump’s tariff plan, all steel and aluminium imported to the U.S. will be subject to a 25 per cent tariff, Canada included. Canada is looking to strike back with tariffs of their own, planning on applying and increasing tariffs on over $30-billion worth of American goods. These tariffs include a tax on lumber, glass and other materials necessary for home manufacturing. For homebuilders, the changes would mean higher construction costs for them which would then be put on the home-buyer. Darcy McLeod is with nest Real Estate Group in Merritt. He suggests that prices of homes, even in Merritt, could be impacted by the tariffs. “If we had a tariff on everything imported from the United States, that cost of that tariff would be incurred on the company that’s importing it, and they just pass it on to the consumer,” he said. Currently, Merritt is an area that is
underserved when it comes to housing, according to McLeod. “We’re coming into another time of increased demand for homes. Merritt is one of those areas where we were undersupplied, particularly when it comes to affordable family homes,” he said. The market of family homes in the area is still being affected by the 2021 flood, with some properties still not fully repaired. For the construction of new homes, it’s a long and difficult process involving land acquisition and city permits, as well as finding the required skilled contractors to complete construction. The combination of those factors and others is slowing down the housing supply across Canada at the moment. The impending trade-war between the U.S. and Canada is likely to further slow down supply chains and increase the cost of housing if it goes hot. “It’s easy to see that the cost of most things involved in the construction of a home would increase significantly if we had broad based tariffs back and forth with the United States,” McLeod said. “A lot of the things that go into building a home. You know, it may seem like they’re simple materials, but a lot of them are actually manufactured in the
PHOTO : MERRITT SNOWMOBILE CLUB
COLD AIR, FAST RIDES: Snowmobile riders from across B.C. and Alberta gathered at Mount Thynne for the first-ever Ladies Group Ride hosted by the Snowmobile Club. Page 19.
TARIFFS: continued on page 3
Merritt Funeral Chapel Celebrating each life like no other
A Division of Service Corporation International (Canada) ULC
Local & Caring. Proudly supporting our community since 1929. Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri.: 10:00am - 3:00pm • Wednesday 1:00pm - 6:00pm / 2113 Granite Ave., Merritt, BC
On-call 24 Hrs. a day: 250-378-2141 or 1-800-668-3379 • www.MerrittFuneralChapel.com