David Paul Vella has been at Crown Cookware since the beginning. The family-run manufacturing business has been making pots, pans and tins for over four decades. After watching the business almost close in 2023, he knows all to well the struggles that come with an uncertain economy.
“We’re probably running about 40 to 50 per cent right now,” Vella tells OMNI News. “We should be running closer to 75 but two of our biggest customers sell everything that they make, 90 per cent, to the U.S., and they haven’t sold much this year.”
With trade tensions threatening Canadian businesses, Crown Cookware is not immune to the U.S. tariffs on aluminum, having no other choice but to switch to foreign suppliers.
“Aluminum loves to travel,” says Vella. “It’s one of the only resources Canada doesn’t have.”
Vella says they used to ship their products to the United States but stopped nearly 18 months ago due to tariff uncertainty.
“Right now my output to America is close to zero. But, still, the Chinese pans are being sold there. Why?
Instead, Crown ships domestically to Canadian consumers and businesses, selling their products at their outlet store in Toronto and online.
“When you buy something Canadian, even if you pay a little more money, that money is coming back to you,” says Vella, adding that buying local supports Canadians and that money helps grow the economy.
While the federal and provincial governments have announced support for tariff-hit businesses, Vella says the best support would be a deal.
“I think any deal right now would be better than no deal because things are changing. I mean, tomorrow, Donald Trump or the American government could decide to tax everything.”
The Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Association say the federal government’s recently announced measures to support tariff-hit businesses are a step in the right direction but they are urging governments across Canada to do more. They warn that retaliatory measures, such as counter-tariffs, could drive costs for smaller manufacturers in Canada, especially those who depend on U.S. imports.
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