‘Elbows up!’ Kitchener’s mayor went to D.C. advocating for local economy

Waterloo Region is said to be the fourth most impacted region in Canada by the U.S. tariffs that came into effect last week, which prompted Kitchener’s mayor to head south of the border.

The report is from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which also said the region could be the second most impacted in Ontario. The potentially harmful impacts on the local economy is why Mayor Berry Vrbanovic took a trip to Washington, D.C., where he had “positive” conversations with U.S. counterparts.

It was part of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence cities initiative that meets annually, this time the conversation centered around the impact’s tariffs would have on both sides of the border. The Great Lakes region accounts for about 50 per cent of Canada-U.S. trade.

“Everyone we talked to values the Canadian relationship, talks about the history between our two countries, whether going back to World War I or II, whether we talk about things like 9/11,” Vrbanovic told The Mike Farwell Show. He compared the constant changes around the tariffs to the likes of a reality TV game show.

“We talk about maybe things change monthly, or by the week. Sometimes they feel like they’re changing by the day or by the hour and that’s not good for anyone. It makes business insecure; it makes people who have to pay mortgages insecure. I can tell you that both the senators and the congress people that we met with are all starting to hear that in their constituencies.”

Vrbanovic said this region is going to be impacted because of the manufacturing plants and connections to the automotive sector. The Canadian mayors are hoping their American counterparts, specifically republicans, will repeat the issues raised in the White House.

“Tariffs are going to, it’s been estimated, impact the average US household at least US $1,300 a year, that’s about $1,900 Canadian a year. We also know that it’s going to have an impact of 1.6 per cent on the American GDP,” said Vrbanovic. “That doesn’t sound like a lot but that’s over $440 billion and most of that will be felt in fact , not across the U.S. but in the four border states.”

Kitchener’s mayor added the problems can’t be fixed overnight, as manufacturing plants don’t just pick up and move easily. He said some plants are both Canadian and American owned, creating further confusion on planning.

“It’s not good for either of our countries.”

Vrbanovic released a statement, telling the community to stay resilient and shop local. Guelph’s Mayor, Cam Guthrie, is repeating that message, encouraging people to shop Canadian. He said in a statement March 7 that the tariffs threaten the local economy.

“We cannot ignore the potential for job losses, increased costs, and reduced competitiveness that these tariffs introduce.”

The City of Guelph have acted by creating a Trade and Tariff Resource Hub, which offers guidance to businesses trying to navigate the constant changes.

“Effective immediately, any new purchases and procurement directly from organizations with a U.S. address will be paused and reviewed by the City’s Executive Team,” said Guthrie. “The City’s own procurement practices align with these ideals. We are currently purchasing from 98.5% Canadian-owned businesses and services, 29% of which are local to Guelph.”

In Kitchener, the city has also taken some proactive measures including creating a Trade and Tariff Task Force that aims to find ways to support the local economy. It includes removing barriers to Made-in-Canada products and the removal of inter-provincial trade barriers.

The municipality also has plans to purchase 98 per cent of the city’s goods and services through Ontario-based businesses.

“We are a resilient community, we’re a community that pulls together and barn raises when the going gets tough,” said Vrbanovic.