As Canadians gear up for the Christmas holiday, one season-centric business sector is losing out to U.S. competition - Christmas tree growers.
The Globe and Mail reports that thanks to a weak American dollar and a large supply, U.S. growers are forcing many small business owners in Canada to close their doors. The news source reports that membership in the Canadian Christmas Tree Growers Associations has fallen from a high of 800 people 20 years ago to 400, according to the group's executive director Lewis Downey.
Myles MacPherson, the group's president and a tree grower himself, said that small business owners have to make the best of a volatile situation.
"We just go with the flow," he said. "If you're in business, you have to suffer the consequences. You've made an agreement, you've set your price, and if you want to do business and sell your product, that's just part of the game."
The weak U.S. dollar has hurt many Canadian small business owners. More people are travelling across the border in hopes of saving money on everyday items.
