PORTHILL, Idaho — A small border business in North Idaho is feeling the severe economic impact of recently implemented Canadian tariffs, threatening its survival after already weathering significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“A 25% hike on what they would take back is certainly a deterrent,” said Lars Jacobsen, owner of Jake’s Landing.
According to Jacobsen, 99% of his customers used to come from Canada for cheaper gas, dairy products, beer, and more affordable shipping costs for packages. Now, with new Canadian tariffs in place, Jake’s Landing’s customer base has shrunk by about 80%.
“This business can’t be supported by just the local community, because the local community is very small,” Jacobsen explained.
The impact has been immediate and severe. “Yesterday, we had seven customers come for packages. Normally this time of year, we would be seeing well over 50, maybe 60 per day,” said Jacobsen.
Changes to gas pricing in British Columbia have also reduced incentives for Canadians to cross the border.
“One of the biggest draws for Canadians here at Jake’s Landing used to be the gas prices which were over a dollar cheaper than what you could get in Canada,” reported Derek Strom of 4 News Now. “But now British Columbia has eliminated its carbon tax, bringing the difference in gas prices down to about 20 cents.”
The timing is particularly difficult as Jake’s Landing was still recovering from the pandemic. “We still have very many deep scars from COVID, but we were coming out of it. Being in a weakened state like that, I don’t know how this is going to play out going forward,” Jacobsen said.
Prior to the tariffs, the business had only recovered about 60% of its pre-COVID revenue. Now, with an 80% reduction in customers, the future of Jake’s Landing remains uncertain.
COPYRIGHT 2025 BY KXLY. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
