“It was chaos.”
That's how Renaldo Agostino would describe the last 24 hours in Windsor, hours ahead of a trade war deadline between Canada and the United States that would’ve forced alcohol distributors to not sell American-made alcohol in Ontario starting Tuesday.
“It started off early in the morning. We have a group chat with all the hospitality owners that were in a bit of a panic because they didn't know what to do about some of the products a lot of their customers wanted,” said Agostino, a Windsor City Councilman from Ward 3.
Ward 3 is home to many of the city’s busiest bars and restaurants, which also see many American customers ages 19 and older.
"You own a business in downtown Windsor, you're getting a significant amount of American customers who come here and they want their Jack Daniels,” Agostino said.
“Probably the biggest American brands we sell are going to be your bourbon. All the Jack Daniels line, all the Jim Beam line,” said James Arbour, owner of Lefty's on the O.
Forty-eight hours before the ban was set to take place, Arbour says he stocked up his bar with American brands like Jack Daniels and Fireball while he still could. He would've been allowed to sell what he had in stock when the ban took effect.
“Yesterday, I went out and bought some extra stock but just of particular things. I didn't want to go overboard because you don't know if it's going to last a day, a week or a month,” Arbour said. “If I can't buy it, somebody else can't buy it either, so it's not hurting us, it's hurting the people who want to drink it.”
But just as American alcohol was starting to be pulled off shelves in Vancouver, President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau agreed on a 30-day pause of the tariffs.
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In a statement on X, Trudeau said:
"I just had a good call with President Trump. Canada is implementing our $1.3 billion border plan — reinforcing the border with new choppers, technology and personnel, enhanced coordination with our American partners, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl. Nearly 10,000 frontline personnel are and will be working on protecting the border."
"In addition, Canada is making new commitments to appoint a Fentanyl Czar, we will list cartels as terrorists, ensure 24/7 eyes on the border, launch a Canada- U.S. Joint Strike Force to combat organized crime, fentanyl and money laundering. I have also signed a new intelligence directive on organized crime and fentanyl and we will be backing it with $200 million."
"Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together."
“I'm glad to see some of these strict hard-line rules come into play when it comes to the fentanyl crisis,” Agostino said. "We have been losing the war on fentanyl and it's time for some changes. And if these changes come into play like I'm sure they will, it's only a positive thing.”
While Agostino says he and other Canadians felt hurt by some of the rhetoric, he feels positive about Monday's outcome. He hopes to see the two countries work better together moving forward.
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“That's what hurt the most here, just from my perspective. You kinda feel like this came out of nowhere," Agostino said. "That's not how you treat your best friend. That’s not the way we talk... we are far better together as allies than we could ever be apart.”
This article was written by Brett Kast and Marlon Falconer for Scripps News Detroit.
