The City of Kitchener has rolled out a new action plan meant to protect jobs and support local businesses amid ongoing trade and tariff tensions between Canada and the United States.
Announced Monday, the plan is built around five areas of focus. The city says it will prioritize Ontario and Canadian suppliers for its own spending, look for Canadian alternatives to goods currently sourced from the U.S., and create more chances for local businesses to bid on municipal contracts. The city noted that the vast majority of goods and services it purchases already come from Ontario-based businesses.
The plan also calls for turning Kitchener’s existing Support Local effort into a year-round program to help residents and businesses find made-in-Kitchener products, services and experiences. The city has relaunched LoveLocalShop.ca, a website selling Support Local merchandise, as part of that push.
Direct Support for Affected Sectors
Beyond procurement and shopping-local efforts, the plan commits the city to helping businesses in tariff-exposed sectors find funding, investment and other supports through advice, resources and direct consultations. Kitchener also plans to meet directly with affected businesses and to advocate on their behalf through municipal associations and other partners, while working to attract new investment and open new markets for local companies.
Mayor Berry Vrbanovic said the city can’t fix an international trade dispute on its own, but argued meaningful action is still possible at the local level. He said the city intends to make its own spending decisions more deliberately, make it easier for consumers to shop locally, and connect businesses with practical support, while also working to ensure Kitchener’s concerns are heard by higher levels of government both in Canada and internationally.
Renewed Task Force and Regional Exposure
The plan follows the city’s move in August to relaunch its Tariff and Trade Task Force, a body first created last year when trade tensions between Canada and the U.S. initially escalated. City officials describe the new action plan as a renewed effort to address continuing uncertainty around trade with the United States.
The stakes for the region are notable: recent studies have identified Waterloo Region as among the most vulnerable regions in Canada to tariffs, with the city noting that more than 90 per cent of exports from local businesses go to the U.S.
As part of the effort, Kitchener is co-hosting two events on Oct. 13 and 14 with Sen. Sandra Pupatello, designed to connect local businesses with officials responsible for federal and provincial procurement, as well as contractors and suppliers in the defence sector. Further details on the action plan are available through the city’s Support Local webpage.
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