Escalating Trade Conflict Hits Athletic Goods

Cross-border tariffs between Canada and the United States are placing new financial burdens on businesses and athletic programs, prompting sports organizations and companies on both sides of the border to call for an immediate end to trade duties on athletic gear.

The current trade friction intensified following the collapse of trade negotiations in mid-August. The following day, U.S. President Donald Trump placed 50 per cent duties on $28 billion worth of Canadian imports, encompassing items such as hockey gear, golf products, gym equipment, and fishing rods and parts. In response, Canada enacted retaliatory tariffs on Sept. 8 that hit several athletic lines, including golf gear, fishing equipment, track suits, ski suits, and swimwear.

Local Retailers Face Cost Spikes Passed to Consumers

Retailers are already feeling the direct pinch of these policies. Mark Macaulay, head of procurement at Home Run Sports in Winnipeg, explained that Canadian retaliatory tariffs directly impact his inventory from American suppliers in Louisiana and Pennsylvania, hiking import costs by 50 per cent compared to pre-Sept. 8 pricing.

Macaulay warned that if these tariffs persist into late fall or winter, his business may be forced to delay or cancel product shipments. He noted that higher wholesale expenses cannot be absorbed by the retailer and will inevitably be passed on to customers through elevated retail price tags, potentially pushing consumers toward alternative brands that fall outside the scope of the tariffs.

Concerns Over Rising Costs and Participation Rates

Industry advocates caution that elevated costs could stifle public activity. Aneysha Bhat, spokesperson for the Washington-based Sports and Fitness Industry Association—which represents over 700 brands, manufacturers, retailers, and athletic leagues—emphasized that affordable access is essential for growing participation in active, healthy communities. The association is urging both federal governments to return to the bargaining table to reopen negotiations.

South of the border, concerns are growing that levies placed on Canadian imports will further elevate already high hockey equipment prices. In response, Adam van Koeverden, Canada’s secretary of state for sport, stated that the federal government aims to protect families needing gear for youth sports involvement. While not identifying specific hard-hit sports or regions, van Koeverden indicated the government is evaluating overall impacts across sectors, consulting with national sport organizations to encourage Canadian procurement, and exploring domestic manufacturing solutions.

Riyadh Nazerally, a spokesperson for Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, acknowledged via email that U.S. duties generate uncertainty for Canadian manufacturers, particularly affecting small and medium-sized enterprises. He noted that federal efforts remain focused on helping businesses manage liquidity challenges, protect jobs, and maintain operations. Meanwhile, Hockey Canada issued a media statement expressing full support for federal efforts to address the tariff dispute while monitoring the situation’s potential impacts on the national hockey community.

Too many men have learned to hide exhaustion, loneliness and emotional pain behind the words “I’m fine.” Real strength begins when we are willing to tell the truth.

By Richard Oostra | The Current

Ask a man how he is doing and there is a good chance you will receive one of three answers:

“Good.”

“Busy.”

“Can’t complain.”

Sometimes those answers are true. Sometimes they are simply the quickest way to end the conversation.

Many men have spent their entire lives learning how to provide, protect, compete and persevere. We are taught to solve problems, carry responsibility and keep moving forward. Those can be admirable qualities. Families, workplaces and communities depend on men who are dependable and resilient.

But resilience is not the same as silence.

A man can appear successful while privately feeling exhausted, disconnected or overwhelmed. He may continue going to work, paying the bills and fulfilling his responsibilities while gradually losing his motivation, relationships and sense of purpose.

The warning signs are not always obvious. Struggle does not necessarily look like sadness. In men, it can appear as anger, irritability, overworking, increased drinking, reckless behaviour, poor sleep or withdrawing from the people who care about them.

The Canadian Mental Health Association advises families and friends to pay attention when a man becomes unusually distant, tired, angry or uninterested in activities he normally enjoys. These changes can be signs that something deeper is happening.

This is not a small issue. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, men account for nearly three-quarters of suicide deaths in this country, and the suicide rate among men is almost three times the rate among women.

Those numbers should force us to reconsider what we call strength.

The Pressure to Appear Fine

Many men were raised to believe that admitting pain creates a burden for others. They tell themselves that someone else has it worse, that they should be grateful or that they simply need to toughen up.

As a result, they wait.

They wait until stress becomes burnout. They wait until loneliness becomes isolation. They wait until frustration damages a marriage, a friendship or a relationship with their children. They wait until a manageable health concern becomes a crisis.

We would never tell a man with chest pain to hide it because other people have heart problems. We would tell him to get help. Mental and emotional pain deserve the same seriousness.

Asking for help is not surrender. It is taking responsibility before the damage spreads.

Busyness Can Hide Loneliness

Men can be surrounded by people and still feel profoundly alone.

Work meetings, social media contacts and casual conversations are not always genuine connections. A man may speak with dozens of people during the day without having one conversation in which he feels safe enough to be honest.

Statistics Canada has found that frequent loneliness is associated with poorer mental health and lower overall life satisfaction. Recent Canadian mental-health reporting also suggests that many men lack strong social-support networks and have never sought professional mental-health assistance.

Loneliness is not a personal failure. But ignoring it will not make it disappear.

Friendship requires effort, especially as we get older. Careers become demanding. Families require attention. People move away. Old friendships fade because neither person wants to be the first to admit that the relationship matters.

The solution does not have to begin with a dramatic emotional conversation. It can begin with a phone call, a coffee, a walk or an invitation to do something together.

Connection is built through repetition. We have to show up.

Start With What You Can Control

Mental health is complex, and practical habits are not replacements for professional care. However, our daily choices can strengthen the foundation on which better health is built.

Start with the basics.

Move your body every day. You do not need an expensive gym membership or a complicated program. Walk, lift weights, cycle, swim, work in the yard or play a sport. Exercise can provide structure, improve physical health and create opportunities for connection.

Protect your sleep. Constant exhaustion affects patience, judgment and emotional control. Staying up late scrolling through a phone is not recovery.

Pay attention to alcohol. A drink may temporarily dull stress, but it does not resolve what is causing it. If drinking is becoming the main way you relax, sleep, socialize or avoid difficult feelings, it is time for an honest assessment.

Create some quiet. Many of us fill every spare moment with news, entertainment, work or social media because silence gives uncomfortable thoughts room to surface. Those thoughts may be telling us something we need to address.

Most importantly, speak to someone. That person might be a spouse, trusted friend, doctor, counsellor, coach, faith leader or family member. You do not need a perfect explanation. You can simply say, “I haven’t been myself lately, and I think I need to talk.”

That sentence can change the direction of a life.

Check on the Men Around You

We also have a responsibility to notice one another.

If a friend has disappeared from the usual gatherings, call him. If a co-worker seems unusually angry or withdrawn, ask him privately if something is going on. If your father, brother, son or neighbour keeps insisting that everything is fine while his behaviour says otherwise, ask again.

Do not settle for “How are you?”

Try something more specific:

“You haven’t seemed like yourself lately. What’s happening?”

“I’ve noticed you’ve been pulling away. Are you doing okay?”

“You don’t have to handle this by yourself. How can I help?”

Then listen. Do not immediately lecture, diagnose or attempt to fix everything. Give the person room to speak without making him regret being honest.

A Better Definition of Strength

Real strength is not pretending that nothing hurts.

Strength is recognizing when something is wrong and taking action. It is having the courage to make the appointment, answer the phone, repair the relationship or admit that the weight has become too heavy to carry alone.

We need men who are strong enough to provide and protect. But we also need men who are emotionally present, connected to their families, involved in their communities and willing to care for their own health.

No man becomes weaker by asking for help.

He becomes more capable of showing up for the people and responsibilities that matter most.

If you are struggling, say something today. If you are worried about someone, reach out today. Do not wait for the perfect moment or the perfect words.

Start the conversation.

It may be the strongest thing either of you does.

Richard Oostra is a high-performance coach who writes about physical and mental health, discipline, resilience, relationships, purpose and building stronger communities. https://richardoostra.com/

If you or someone you know is thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 anywhere in Canada. If there is immediate danger, call 9-1-1.

Richard Oostra examines men’s mental health, loneliness and the pressure to appear strong—and offers practical ways to reconnect and seek help.

Supporting health information: Public Health Agency of Canada suicide statistics, Health Canada on men’s health, and Canadian Mental Health Association guidance.

Regional Proposal Focuses on Underutilized Jail Facility

Municipal officials and Indigenous leadership across the Okanagan are taking their pitch directly to provincial ministers at the upcoming Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, urging the government to evaluate converting part of the Okanagan Correctional Centre into a mandatory treatment facility.

Gathering in a field opposite the Oliver facility on Friday, representatives including Kelowna Mayor Tom Dyas, West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom, Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield, Vernon Mayor Victor Cumming, Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen, and Mary Wilbur of the Osoyoos Indian Band advocated for immediate regional action on severe addiction.

Local leaders emphasized that traditional voluntary treatment options are insufficient given the presence of dangerous substances like fentanyl and xylazine in the illicit supply. According to Bloomfield, adapting an existing building would save billions of dollars and years of construction time compared to erecting a new specialized site from scratch.

Provincial Capacity and Regional Context

Data from B.C.’s Ministry of Public Safety indicates that the 400-cell correctional facility in Oliver, constructed in 2016, currently averages about 200 occupants. Local mayors noted provincial estimates showing a need for roughly 2,500 involuntary care beds across British Columbia.

In a statement addressing the proposal, the Ministry of Health noted that B.C. presently maintains more than 2,000 involuntary mental-health beds under the Mental Health Act, with 258 located within the Interior Health region. The province confirmed it is actively collaborating with Interior Health, the Ministry of Infrastructure, and provincial adviser Dr. Daniel Vigo to determine appropriate sites for expanding specialized mental health and substance use beds in the Interior.

Community Engagement and Local Concerns

The proposal also accounts for ongoing local sentiments in the South Okanagan. Since the correctional centre opened, area residents have expressed persistent concerns regarding local crime rates and prisoner releases, particularly following the discontinuation of regional bus services.

Oliver Mayor Martin Johansen, who is not seeking re-election, stressed that local residents and municipal leaders must be directly involved in future discussions regarding any operational shifts at the facility, acknowledging that while mandatory care is not a single cure-all, dedicated secure stabilization options remain critical for individuals unable to care for themselves.