While the City of Welland has introduced a temporary rule to prioritize Canadian-made goods in the city’s purchases due to tariff concerns, the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake is not considering a similar shift in its procurement policy.
But the town is closely monitoring the situation and remains focused on supporting its businesses, said Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa in an interview with The Lake Report.
Canada and the U.S. agreed to delay imposing 25 per cent tariffs on each other’s imports for 30 days on Monday.
Procurement changes are a long-term consideration and any significant updates require a public process, Zalepa said.
Some municipalities, like Welland, may have options within their bylaws to act quickly, he said.
In NOTL, changes to the procurement bylaw would need to be carefully reviewed and involve community input, said Zalepa.
“That’d be a more long-term reaction — if we had to,” he said.
Instead, the town’s economic development staff, led by Ashleigh Myers, have been collecting data on local businesses that export to the U.S., to gain a better understanding of how to offer support if the situation evolves, he said.
The town’s chief administrative officer Bruce Zvaniga has also been discussing the tariff threat at meetings with CAOs of the other 11 Niagara municipalities, with their last meeting Feb. 5.
Living in a border town has left residents and businesses particularly affected, he said.
The proximity of the Queenston-Lewiston border makes the tariff situation more personal for residents — many of which have family in the U.S. or work across the border, said Zalepa.
“It’s just more visible for us,” he said.
Zalepa said he hasn’t heard any push from residents for a policy change like Welland’s, or for any change at all. But the town is prepared to ask the province or federal government for help if needed.
