London-area conservation authority hones in on 'Buy Canadian' movement

Matthew Trevithick · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 20, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

Buying local and Canadian whitethorn be a bully mode to amusement enactment for Canada successful the look of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff and annexation threats, but it's besides conscionable bully for the environment, 1 London-area speech authorization says.

Next week, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority's (UTRCA) committee of directors volition sermon changing the agency's purchasing policies to promote unit to take local when contracting goods and services.

"The UTRCA prefers section supply," the proposal reads.

"Being an biology organization, it's been portion of our mean signifier and our purchasing regulations to look locally," said Tracy Annett, UTRCA's wide manager. Shorter transportation distances means a reduced biology impact.

But arsenic the Canadian system braces for U.S. tariffs, and reciprocal Canadian tariffs, emphasizing that section sourcing strategy has taken connected a full caller importance.

"We person a fig of subordinate municipalities successful our watershed. Almost each are councillors that beryllium astir our boardroom array to marque these decisions, and each are proceeding these aforesaid concerns astir however we tin trim the impacts of tariffs," she said.

UTRCA tries to root section oregon Canadian arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, but immoderate things tin lone beryllium purchased, for now, from the U.S, said Teresa Hollingsworth, UTRCA's manager of assemblage and firm services.

"The kinds of things that we person occupation sourcing are things similar watercourse travel oregon monitoring instrumentality … If we request parts oregon repairs, we inactive would beryllium forced to get those from the U.S.," she said.

WATCH | Helping Canadians prime retired section goods

Hollingsworth said UTRCA's expenditure fund covers everything from campground supplies, h2o and wildlife monitoring tools, and flood control, bureau and IT equipment.

"Our intent truly is to marque definite our unit is ever reasoning astir 'if we tin get this local, we request to bargain local.'"

In discussions, UTRCA volition beryllium reflecting on: What constitutes section and Canadian, and would specified a directive preclude sourcing from different countries? A memo going earlier the gathering notes interprovincial commercialized barriers whitethorn besides marque Canadian procurement much challenging.

Local sourcing a taxable astatine different conservation authorities

Other section conservation authorities are looking astatine their ain procurement. St. Clair Region Conservation Authority hasn't brought the contented to its board, but has been looking internally astatine wherever its suppliers are from, its wide manager said.

"We're looking astatine replacing immoderate of our tract mowing equipment," said Ken Phillips. "Where does that travel from? Do we request to expedite the process to support that we tin debar tariffs?"

The U.S. has imposed 25 per cent tariffs connected each Canadian alloy and aluminum imports, prompting Canada to grow retaliatory tariffs. More U.S. tariffs are acceptable to travel connected April 2. 

"While we haven't officially gone to the committee with a connection yet to look astatine purchasing, it mightiness beryllium thing we look astatine doing successful 1 of the adjacent mates committee meetings," Phillips said. 

Conservation Ontario, which represents conservation authorities, has provided immoderate guidance astir the issue, helium said. A spokesperson for the enactment was not disposable Wednesday.

WATCH | Push to bargain section an accidental for Canadian retailers

Mark Peacock, the CAO and secretary-treasurer of the Lower Thames River Conservation Authority (LTRCA), echoed the others connected the deficiency of Canadian firms producing h2o prime monitors, and things similar bureau software.

LTRCA doesn't person a "buy Canadian" proviso successful its policy, but Peacock said a immense bulk of its contracts are already for Canadian goods and services, galore from section suppliers.

"We bash astir of our enactment with section communities, things similar planting trees, gathering wetlands," helium said. "Almost everything we bargain successful doing that enactment is local. It's from section nurseries. It's section contractors doing that work."

"We plant like 100,000 trees a year. We person to person a section source. We besides request trees that turn successful this area."

At adjacent Catfish Creek Conservation Authority, its wide manager Dusty Underhill, said supporting and buying section creates a affirmative economical rhythm for the region. 

"We've ever been steadfast believers successful sourcing local," helium said.

"It benefits the economy, merchandise prime and work is ever better, it strengthens assemblage ties. There's tons of bully reasons to store local."