Alaska is big and divorced from the contiguous 48 states. Three-fourths of the state’s communities, comprising as much as 25% of the state’s population, aren’t even on the state’s road system. As such, it is expensive to stock its grocery shelves. Americans may complain about high grocery prices, but Alaskans, in particular, face even bigger bills.
“As an example, [Mike Jones, an economics professor at the University of Alaska-Anchorage,] said a half gallon of milk that would cost about $2.80 in Anchorage or Fairbanks could cost about $6 in rural communities, particularly in the west and southwest,” according to The Shelby Report, which covers the supermarket industry. “Infant formula that would cost about $18 in Anchorage could cost up to $30 for the same size in the rural areas. A five-pound bag of rice, priced at $5 in Anchorage could cost closer to $15 in many rural communities.”
According to the St. Louis Federal Reserve, the U.S. city average for a gallon of whole milk is around $4. Half gallons aren’t half the cost; the math isn’t that simple. But generally speaking, and especially once you get out of the bigger Alaskan cities, groceries are extremely expensive.
In 2024, 55% of Alaska’s voters backed Donald Trump over Democratic candidate Kamala Harris, who received 41%.
In 2025, Trump decided to pick a fight with Canada for no logical reason at all. And the thing is, no matter how insulting Trump and his minions are toward Canada, our friends to the north are not powerless to deliver serious retaliatory pain.
Take British Columbia, the land gateway from the lower 48 states to Alaska, for example.
“British Columbia is hitting back at economic threats from the United States by introducing tools to impose fees on U.S. truck traffic travelling through the province on the way to Alaska,” reported the Canadian Broadcast Company. “Premier David Eby said the tolls may not be used, but warned that Canada needs to have tools available to fight the threat of tariffs coming from President Donald Trump until he backs down from his plans altogether.”
This action would come on top of already enacted provisions like “removing alcohol from Republican-leaning states from B.C. Liquor Store shelves, de-prioritizing U.S. contractors on government contract bids, and fast-tracking the process through which energy and resource projects are vetted for approval in order to improve the province’s self-reliance and trade relationships with other nations,” according to the CBC.
In response, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, victim-blamed Canada like an asshole.
“My hope is that the federal governments between our two great countries work out solutions to the tariff issues, and provincial and state governments refrain from making unilateral decisions that may have negative consequences that negatively impact discussions at the federal level as they find solutions,” he told the Alaska Beacon.
And a Republican Alaska lawmaker whose day job is trucking sounded the dire warning. “It’s going to be a big deal for two things,” he said to the Alaska Beacon. “Fresh produce—the vast majority of our fresh produce … for most of Alaska gets trucked up. The other major issue that I could see is with the oil industry. If you want to get something up here fast, you put it on a truck, not a barge.”
The executive director of the Alaska Trucking Association was equally alarmed, saying, “Such measures will significantly increase transportation costs, disrupt supply chains, and raise prices for essential goods that Alaskans rely on. … We strongly urge provincial policymakers to maintain the great relationships and commonalities they share with Alaska while our federal governments work towards solutions to avoid tariffs.”
Alaska Republicans could show kinship with Canada by standing with their neighbor against Trump’s dangerous belligerence. They could blast Trump’s efforts and call out just how much it would hurt regular Alaskans.
But nah, better to chastise B.C.’s provincial government for standing up for their rights?
Oh well. Fuck around and find out, right?
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