Will the 'Buy Canadian' movement draw more crowds to Toronto's One of a Kind show? Artists hope yes

Julia Alevato · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 26, 2025 2:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

Toronto's One of a Kind amusement has been a staple for section artisans for fractional a period now, but this year's variation has seen a much important propulsion arsenic the "Buy Canadian" question takes off. 

Artist Allie Harrison owns Light + Paper successful Toronto and says she hopes the Buy Canadian question brings caller customers to this year's show. 

"I'm hoping that this twelvemonth astatine the amusement we get immoderate caller customers who possibly haven't travel to the amusement earlier who are truly connected the Buy Canadian instrumentality and privation to enactment section makers, section artists, and store astatine the amusement and discover," she said. 

The question started successful February successful effect to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff threats and has ballooned crossed the state successful caller weeks.

WATCH | The propulsion to bargain local: 

Harrison says she fears losing concern owed to tariffs connected Canadian exports, arsenic she ships galore orders to the U.S. and worries radical won't privation to wage the other taxes. 

She says she's besides disquieted astir sourcing her worldly domestically since she gets astir of it from the U.S. 

"We're trying to root present each successful Canada, but it's tough. They don't marque everything here, truthful it has been a struggle," she said. 

"Since the pandemic, the prices of everything person skyrocketed for businesses and personnel, truthful it's already a pugnacious time, and past adding this connected top, it's truly stressful."

Chuck Allen says his Manitoba-based business, Earth and Hide, won't beryllium affected by the imposed tariffs arsenic helium gets his worldly from a tannery adjacent his house. 

"It's truly important for me, if I expect different radical to enactment local, that I enactment section arsenic well," helium said. 

Allen thinks the Buy Canadian inclination whitethorn person a affirmative interaction connected section artists arsenic consumers are present reasoning astir wherever their merchandise is coming from. 

Stephanie Cheng says her Toronto tiny concern has been affected positively.

"In a way, it's been bully for maine arsenic a shaper and arsenic a tiny business. It's hard for maine to bargain large, truthful buying tiny and local, it's ever been my ethos and that's what I enactment arsenic well." 

This year's One of a Kind features the enactment of much than 400 artists from crossed Canada. The amusement manager says supporting section has ever been the event's goal. 

"I deliberation much than ever we privation to assistance and enactment our Canadian businesses due to the fact that erstwhile you store local, you're besides making definite you're creating much jobs for our community," said the event's director, Janice Leung. 

The amusement runs from March 26 to March 30 astatine the Enercare Centre successful Toronto.