Brexit impact felt personally, professionally in Ottawa

The wide-ranging impact of Britain's vote to leave the European Union is being felt by ex-pats and business owners far away in Canada's capital.

While global leaders work to figure out the next political and economic steps of the referendum, it's hitting hard on a personal level for millions of people around the world.

• EU referendum: Vote to Leave puts Britain on uncertain course
• Canadian dollar, TSX drop after Britons vote to Brexit Europe
• Ottawa's Scottish and Irish Store owner 'nervous' as Brexit referendum nears

"I'm feeling pretty gutted this morning," said Ottawa resident and British ex-pat Lauren Dobson-Hughes, who voted to stay in the EU, on CBC Radio's Ottawa Morning.

"I think everybody's in a stunned silence and yet perhaps we shouldn't be, because I'm in the minority. There are 52 per cent of my compatriots who didn't feel that way."

The owner of Ottawa's two Scottish and Irish Stores, which imports often from the United Kingdom, said the swan-diving value of the pound will help his business.

"It means our costs should be lower so our prices should be lower for our customers," said Michael Cox.

"With a lot of our food suppliers in the U.K., a lot of their goods are also produced and come in from the EU. [If] the Euro keeps pace with the dropping pound, which it probably will, we'll be OK. If the Euro is higher than the pound, even though our costs might go down on the pound, the prices of our goods might go up."

One downtown Ottawa currency exchange was out of British pounds around noon Friday after the news.

What now?

The French owner of Ottawa's Moulin de Provence bakery in the ByWard Market said the Brexit vote result wasn't surprising.

"I think it's just the beginning of many changes in Europe," said Claude Bonnet.

"I think European people need a change. The European Union was a dream for many people in many countries, but I think the dream didn't come true."

Dobson-Hughes said she worries about the country becoming more divided as it stares down the next steps of this process.

"I think the next six months in particular will be seminal as we see how the EU punishes us; because the European project is at stake, they need to make an example of us," she said.

"I fear the people who voted Leave will be the hardest hit by the sanctions and the punishment, so I'm quite fearful about the backlash and how we'll handle the protracted negotiations and very difficult negotiations to leave."

Britain now has to invoke Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union which triggers a two-year window to negotiate a split, with the possibility of extending it.