New coalitions of leaders from cities and towns on both sides of the Niagara River have sprung up in the wake of the U.S.-Canada trade war, and Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa has joined forces with two teams to address the impact of tariffs on businesses in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Zalepa gave an update at the town’s March 25 council meeting about his latest meeting with Niagara 8, a group of eight elected municipal leaders from four municipalities in southern Ontario and four in western New York, as well as Border Mayors Alliance, with whom he’s been having weekly meetings, he said.
Niagara 8, formed this year, is focused on the economic impact tariffs cause to both regions — which rely on each other, according to a March 24 letter from the group.
It involves eight municipalities bordering Lake Erie and Lake Ontario: Buffalo, Niagara Falls in New York State, Erie County, Niagara County, the Regional Municipality of Niagara, Niagara Falls, Ont., Fort Erie and Niagara-on-the Lake.
At the meeting, Zalepa said he and other leaders collaborated on a document that will be given to both governments, which outlines the group’s stance on tariffs and the need to strengthen the U.S.-Canada relationship.
Niagara 8 will continue to deliver joint messages to both national governments, he said.
Another Niagara 8 group meeting is being planned and Zalepa said he will update residents on details.
Alongside economic development officer Ashleigh Myers, Zalepa has also been meeting with the Border Mayors Alliance, a group of over 60 mayors across Canada with borders on the United States, every week.
“Which has been a great resource in targeting how to support our business during these uncertain times,” Zalepa said, adding that the focus of the alliance is to support businesses as tariff-related affairs unfold.
He receives daily news briefings on tariffs during the meetings and shares any significant updates with council, he said.
Through the alliance, he was invited to attend a press release with border mayors, which focused on businesses already feeling impacts from tariffs. Zalepa brought up two points while there.
One was for provincial and federal governments to address inter-provincial trade issues urgently.
The other was for these governments to incentivize businesses affected by tariffs.
He pointed to breweries as an example, which need cans to package their products, but face higher costs due to tariffs on materials like aluminum.
“Governments in Canada need to incentivize those businesses to find new supply chains, or collaboratively create their own,” he said.
