US President Donald Trump has said he will slap a 35% tariff on Canadian goods starting 1 August, even as the two countries are days away from a self-imposed deadline to reach a new deal on trade.

The missive came as Trump also threatened blanket tariffs of 15% or 20% on most trade partners, and said he would soon notify the European Union of a new tariff rate on its goods.

Trump announced the latest levies on Canada on Thursday in a letter posted to social media and addressed to Prime Minister Mark Carney.

The US has already imposed a blanket 25% tariff on some Canadian goods, and the country is feeling the pain of the Trump administration’s global steel, aluminium and auto tariffs.

The letter is among more than 20 that Trump had posted this week to US trade partners, including Japan, South Korea and Sri Lanka.

Like Canada’s letter, Trump has vowed to implement those tariffs on trade partners by 1 August.

The US has imposed a 25% tariff on all Canadian imports, though there is a current exemption in place for goods that comply with a North American free trade agreement.

It is unclear if the latest tariffs threat would apply to goods covered by the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

Trump has also imposed a global 50% tariff on aluminium and steel imports, and a 25% tariff on all cars and trucks not build in the US.

He also recently announced a 50% tariff on copper imports, scheduled to take effect next month.

Canada sells about three-quarters of its goods to the US, and is an auto manufacturing hub and a major supplier of metals, making the US tariffs especially damaging to those sectors.

Trump’s letter said the 35% tariffs are separate to those sector-specific levies.

“As you are aware, there will be no tariff if Canada, or companies within your country, decide to build or manufacture products within the United States,” Trump stated.

He also tied the tariffs to what he called “Canada’s failure” to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US, as well as Canada’s existing levies on US dairy farmers and the trade deficit between the two countries.

“If Canada works with me to stop the flow of Fentanyl, we will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter. These Tariffs may be modified, upward or downward, depending on our relationship with Your Country,” Trump said.

President Trump has accused Canada – alongside Mexico – of allowing “vast numbers of people to come in and fentanyl to come in” to the US.

According to data from the US Customs and Border Patrol, only about 0.2% of all seizures of fentanyl entering the US are made at the Canadian border, almost all the rest is confiscated at the US border with Mexico.

In response to Trump’s complaints, Canada announced more funding towards border security and had appointed a fentanyl czar earlier this year.

Canada has been engaged in intense talk with the US in recent months to reach a new trade and security deal.

At the G7 Summit in June, Prime Minister Carney and Trump said they were committed to reaching a new deal on within 30 days, setting a deadline of 21 July.

Trump threatened in the letter to increase levies on Canada if it retaliated. Canada has already imposed counter-tariffs on the US, and has vowed more if they failed to reach a deal by the deadline.

In late June, Carney removed a tax on big US technology firms after Trump labelled it a “blatant attack” and threatened to call off trade talks.

Carney said the tax was dropped as “part of a bigger negotiation” on trade between the two countries.

The Prime Minister’s office told the BBC they did not have immediate comment on Trump’s letter.

This week’s column dives into Mary Meeker’s latest report, and also looks at how Road Runner Sports is elevating its customer experience

This story is part of “The Stack,” a weekly column that takes a deep dive into the ways tech companies are shaping the future of fitness and wellness

I was surprised to see an email in my inbox about a new report from Bond, the venture capital firm based in San Francisco and founded by Mary Meeker. Following the link brought me to a massive 340-page report. It was like Christmas in July.

If you don’t know, Meeker is known as the “Queen of the Internet.” While at Morgan Stanley, Meeker and Chris DePuy published “The Internet Report,” which guided investors through the dot-com boom era and beyond. So, what does she and her co-authors of “Trends – Artificial Intelligence” have to say today? A lot.

The report covers everything from soup to nuts, and includes chapters on AI deployment, usage, costs, growth, the competitive landscape, capital expenditures and IRL uses such as at work.  

The report paints an AI landscape using numerous graphs and charts, mostly festooned with arrows that go up, but also with some bleak data points such as “monetization threats.”

One of the key takeaways of the report is the speed of change occurring.

“To say the world is changing at unprecedented rates is an understatement,” the report’s authors said. “Rapid and transformative technology innovation/adoption represent key underpinnings of these changes. As does leadership evolution for the global powers.”

The report noted the rise of Google, Alibaba and Facebook – each experiencing growth arcs that were relatively steady.

“Fast forward to today with the world’s organized, connected and accessible information being supercharged by artificial intelligence, accelerating computing power and semi-borderless capital … all driving massive change,” the authors of the report said. “Sport provides a good analogy for AI’s constant improvements. As athletes continue to wow us and break records, their talent is increasingly enhanced by better data/inputs/training. The same is true for businesses, where computers are ingesting massive datasets to get smarter and more competitive.”

Over time, the speed of change is only expected to increase, so hang on.

If you want to learn more, download the report here. 

The New Kid on the Block

The latest development in AI is “Agentic AI,” which is the spooky one that works autonomously with little human oversight. Instead, it runs on its own to reach specific goals. This form of AI joins the ranks of other powerful models, such as predictive and generative AI. In truth, Agentic AI is not so much spooky as it is advanced.

For the retail, hospitality and fitness industries, companies such as Profitmind are working with businesses to create an “intelligence layer” with Agentic AI that can assist in price optimization, performance analysis and inventory analysis. It can even be used in competitive and white space analysis.

In IBM’s latest “Global C-suite Series” report, analysts polled CEOs and looked at how Agentic AI can help businesses move from profitability to greater productivity. 

“Technology promises to help them make smarter, better decisions that drive growth and stakeholder value,” the report’s authors said. “AI agents, in particular, offer predictive capabilities that let teams see the impact of change before they lift a finger. This autonomous, adaptive and self-iterating technology is already dramatically changing how businesses operate.”

Business leaders are taking note. IBM’s survey of executives found that 61 percent of CEOs polled “say their organization is actively adopting AI agents and preparing to implement them at scale.”

Tying Everything Together

Road Runner Sports, the nationwide fitness retailer, recently teamed up with unified commerce solutions leader Aptos to implement the tech company’s modern, mobile-first Point of Sale (POS) platform, Aptos One. This strategic deployment, extending across Road Runner Sports’ 50-plus U.S. stores, aims to significantly enhance customer engagement and omnichannel capabilities.

Deploying Aptos One is in response to growing consumer demands for an overall better shopping experience, whether it is online, in a physical store or at a pop-up shop. Personalization and seamless experiences are key.

Aptos said the integration of Aptos One will seamlessly connect with Road Runner Sports’ existing Aptos SaaS applications, including Merchandising, Order Management System (OMS), Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Sales Audit. The company said this connectivity will enable highly personalized customer service, real-time inventory visibility and a unified experience across online and offline interactions.

San Diego-based Road Runner Sports is renowned for its diverse selection of athletic shoes, apparel and fitness devices. Their shoppers are fiercely loyal and expect a high level of personalization. The company’s commitment to inspiring active and healthy lifestyles is exemplified by its unique Fit Finder technology, which provides in-store and online customers with personalized shoe fittings, and its popular membership program, offering extended guarantees and exclusive benefits. 

“We’ve redefined the traditional shoe buying experience,” Tom Compogiannis, chief financial officer at Road Runner Sports, said in a statement. “Our interest in Aptos One stemmed from our continuous pursuit of elevating our customers’ journey.”

Beyond in-store enhancements, Compogiannis foresees significant opportunities for Aptos One to facilitate Road Runner Sports’ presence at external events such as pop-up shops, expos and gatherings.

“We want to interact with Road Runner Sports customers and potential customers wherever they are,” Compogiannis added. “As a cloud-native, mobile-first solution, Aptos One makes it easy to conduct selling activities just about anywhere.”

This capability allows store teams to engage with local communities, expanding customer acquisition and sales opportunities outside traditional store environments.”

Jeremy Grunzweig, general manager at Aptos, emphasized that Aptos One was developed in response to retailer feedback, combining robust enterprise-grade, omnichannel POS functionality with a mobile-first design.

For inquiries and tips related to “The Stack,” please reach out to [email protected]