Calgary tech firms say U.S. tariff uncertainty is pushing them to the breaking point

Tariff uncertainty is straining Calgary's tech sector. Two local companies say more than a year of on-and-off U.S. tariff threats have left them unable to plan ahead, with rejected shipments and mounting costs forcing painful business decisions.

Solarbotics, a family-run electronics company operating for 34 years, relied heavily on U.S. customers before tariffs introduced under President Donald Trump reshaped their market. Co-owner Cheryl Hyrnkiw says shipments are now routinely rejected because added costs make products too expensive for buyers. "What point in time does it become too much," she says, "mentally as well as financially, to carry on."

When shipments are refused at the border, the company gets charged back for the product, the clearing fees, and all costs involved in crossing the border — and often doesn't even get the shipment back. These aren't abstract trade numbers; they're direct losses that hit the bottom line immediately.

Down the street, startup VF Comms shut off U.S. sales entirely after the most recent tariff threat, a measure that was paused at the last minute. Owner Ben Eadie says the uncertainty leaves small firms powerless. "Before there was something I can do," he says. "In this case I can only sit there and watch the big boys fight, and it's dumb."

Eadie was already being tariffed on his products and forced to navigate complex processes to recover money he shouldn't have been charged. "I can't afford to do that, so those are just losses I'll have to take," he says. He warns that another round of tariffs could shut his operation down entirely.

On Wednesday, Trump's trade czar stood with Canada-U.S. Minister Dominic LeBlanc in Washington and touted a draft deal that appears to have averted a new round of punishing tariffs for now. But for Calgary's small tech exporters, the damage from months of uncertainty is already done.