American-furniture purchase shows confusion over Windsor's council's 'buy Canadian' request

CBC

· Posted: May 16, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

City unit volition bring backmost caller bargain Canadian policy options for council to mull implicit after taxpayers criticized a $285,000 order of American-made outdoor furnishings purchased past month. 

Days earlier that acquisition was approved, assembly directed staff to bargain Canadian goods and services when its financially and operationally reasonable to "support section and home businesses and workers."

Councillor Kieran McKenzie, who introduced the motion, is disquieted that mightiness inactive beryllium near for interpretation. 

"All of it was with the volition of truly trying to excavation into: wherever tin we bargain Canadian wherever possible?" said McKenzie during Monday's assembly meeting. 

Senior medication seemed to agree, telling assembly they request much clear direction connected erstwhile to prioritize Canadian goods and services.

Windsor's Chief Administrative Officer Ray Mansour said unit request to cognize if they're looking for "what's the champion woody financially for the payer oregon bash we privation to bargain Canadian astatine each outgo erstwhile it's available?"

Staff support acquisition of American-made furniture

The treatment astir buying Canadian was reignited aft taxpayers questioned councillors astir a CBC News study outlining city's unit acquisition of American-made furnishings for the outdoor crystal rink astatine metropolis hall. 

City technologist David Simpson told assembly that unit "fully followed assembly direction" by purchasing the furniture, adding that it came successful nether fund portion highlighting the prime and superior warranty.

Councillor Fred Francis had antecedently suggested cancelling the acquisition due to the fact that of the backlash and was told that would outgo the metropolis a punishment of $90,000.

City unit have said that 10 suppliers were considered including Canadian companies.

But the metropolis has not said what the outgo difference would person been betwixt those suppliers. 

Windsor has not made immoderate changes to its procurement argumentation portion the commercialized warfare with the United States continues but is considering options. 

Ontario bans U.S. companies from procurement

In March, the province restricted United States businesses from provincial procurements with definite exemptions.

That flows down to places similar hospitals, public schoolhouse boards, and universities but it does not apply to cities like Windsor.

"Ontario's Procurement Restriction Policy does not use to municipalities," said a spokesperson for Ontario's curate of nationalist and concern work delivery.

"Where imaginable we promote each partners to enactment made-in-Ontario and made-in-Canada businesses. In doing so, they whitethorn privation to travel Ontario's guidance."

Municipalities crossed Ontario similar Vaughan, Toronto and Mississauga person adjusted their procurement polices follwoing the pb of the provincial government.

Buy Canadian attack 'long overdue'

It's a determination that the caput of Ontario's Public Buyers Association (OPBA) hopes continues agelong term.

"I deliberation it's agelong overdue," said Victoria Mirlocca, seat of the OPBA and manager of procurement for the City of Mississauga. 

"This full question is large for our system and arsenic nationalist assemblage entities, it conscionable opens up an full caller satellite and however we tin absorption our procurements and beryllium much strategic."

Typically, a metropolis volition judge bids connected a task and grant it to the lowest bidder that meets the criteria. 

But that's changed successful cities like Mississauga.

"If a debased bidder comes successful and they are a US supplier, but the 2nd lowest bidder is non-us and is wrong 20%, we're gonna grant to the non-us supplier," said Mirlocca.

She said that requires wide definitions of what makes a institution American. 

Provincially, that's a institution that is headquartered successful United States with less than 250 full-time employees successful Canada.

Mississauga is pursuing a akin definition, said Mirlocca, portion besides opening up much projects to an invite-only style of procurement so unit tin constrictive successful connected Canadian businesses.

"We're gathering programs astir that truthful that our declaration managers and our task managers understand, you know, we request to pull section businesses," she said. 

Those thresholds person to beryllium beneath $353,300 for goods and services and $8.8-million for operation to conscionable the Canada Free Trade Agreement that applies to commercialized betwixt Canada and European states.

There's besides connection successful some Mississauga's and Ontario's argumentation changes that let for unit to acquisition goods and services from the United States if there's nary alternative.

Mitigate tariffs oregon enactment section companies?

Where those argumentation shits are aimed astatine gathering up Canadian procurement, Windsor's attack has been chiefly astir mitigating Canadian counter-tariffs portion getting the champion value. 

"If something's fiscal advantageous, we're benignant of going with it, successful accordance with the purchasing by-law," said the city's acting commissioner of quality and wellness work Dana Paladino astatine Monday's assembly meeting. 

"But if council's absorption is that it doesn't substance if its advantageous, this is thing that we request to consider, than we request to bring that back."

Mayor Drew Dilkens believes that the woody for the American-made outdoor furnishings was "in the champion involvement of the taxpayer."

He said assembly tin archer unit to physique conditions into tenders that necessitate circumstantial levels of Canadian contented but that could pb to shifts successful costs. 

"You don't cognize whether if you did that you're paying 20 per cent more, 10 per cent more, 5 per cent more? You don't cognize unless you really enactment it successful determination and possibly bash a examination saying 'All Canadian goods and past adjacent comparable price," said Dilkens.

The remainder of assembly supported councillor McKenzie's inquire for unit to bring back alternative procurement argumentation options.

"I deliberation if it's a presumption quo benignant of happening than I deliberation we onshore backmost present successful this treatment again. I don't cognize if we each privation that," said McKenzie.