Tariffs and international trade were on many people’s minds during the Niagara-on-the-Lake Chamber of Commerce’s leadership gathering for all of the town’s main political representatives, held on Tuesday in Old Town.
Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa, regional Coun. Andrea Kaiser, NDP MPP Wayne Gates and Conservative MP Tony Baldinelli were at the Prince of Wales Hotel for the Chamber’s multi-level leadership luncheon, which saw the political leaders speak on a multitude of topics and issues for the afternoon.
The event opened with a land acknowledgement and greetings, followed by lunch, opening remarks from each politician, and a question-and-answer session.
Baldinelli stressed the importance of the U.S. market to local businesses.
This comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney had his second White House meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 7. Pressure is mounting on Carney to address U.S. tariffs on steel, autos, aluminum and lumber as they continue hurting the Canadian economy.
“This trading relationship is vitally important,” Baldinelli said. “The U.S. market counts for 72 per cent of total exports from Niagara businesses, with export trade supporting about 30,000 jobs. This is why we have to find a resolution to the trade impediments.”
Zalepa highlighted his role in the Border Mayors Alliance, a group of Canadian mayors from border communities working to oppose tariffs.
“We’re acutely impacted as a border community due to tariffs,” he said. “I’m not saying back to the North American Free Trade Agreement, but closer than what we are right now.”
Kaiser spoke about the region’s push to encourage buying local in response to tariffs. She also urged NOTL wine producers to follow the example of B.C. wineries, which prominently label their products as local.
Some business owners attended the event to hear how leaders plan to support the local economy.
“I wanted to hear what the councillor and the different levels of government … are thinking about improving,” said Tommy Wegge, owner of Harmony Hygge Lifestyle on Queen Street.
He also expressed interest in plans for the former hospital site on Wellington Street, saying, “this town needs more parking spots.”
Wegge called the luncheon “an interesting event” and said he was “so happy” to be there.
Richard Liu, owner of Ironwood Cider House, said he came because “the government has a lot of power in terms of the well-being of the community.”
He noted a downturn in tourism this year and wanted to hear what leaders had to say about the issue.
“A lot of talk was obviously about tariffs,” he said.
Overall, the majority of the discussions reflected the individual platforms of each representative.
One key announcement came from Kaiser, who revealed that a long-awaited police funding report she initiated is nearing release.
“We are expecting that report to come back with possibilities of how that cost is levied in January,” she said.
Kaiser raised the issue in June, arguing that Niagara-on-the-Lake pays a disproportionately high share of police costs, which are based heavily on property taxes — often a burden for local homeowners.
Alongside this, she discussed the region’s priorities, including infrastructure investment and support for local businesses.
Baldinelli criticized what he called the unsound economic policies of the federal Liberal government and promoted Conservative economic principles.
“It’s time for government to get out of the way,” he said.
Gates focused on local and provincial issues, including the town’s ongoing effort to bring a nurse practitioner to Niagara-on-the-Lake.
He also highlighted broader concerns, such as the “crisis” in health care, the shortage of skilled trades workers, and the importance of the auto sector — a field he knows well from his time as president of Unifor Local 199.
Zalepa addressed the limitations of municipal authority and responded to a question about the future of the former hospital site. While he didn’t propose a specific plan, he emphasized the need for public input and private sector involvement.
“Council wants to hear what it is in the community that need to be addressed,” he said, adding that potential outcomes could include “three or five” ideas.
The discussion was moderated by Jeff Bolichowski, a communications professional with Armstrong Strategy Group and a former journalist at the St. Catharines Standard and Windsor Star.
Kathy Weiss, CEO of the NOTL Chamber of Commerce, and chair David Levesque both told The Lake Report they were pleased with how the event went.
