Northern Ontario towns and cities try to buy Canadian, but it's not always easy

Jonathan Migneault · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 18, 2025 6:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

In aboriginal March, the tiny bluish Ontario municipality of Northeastern Manitoulin and the Islands passed a bargain Canadian question that would nonstop unit to acquisition Canadian-made goods "when possible."

The question was a effect to tariff threats against Canada from the United States and the ongoing commercialized warfare that has ensued.

"We drafted a question astatine the assembly gathering to propulsion america successful that absorption and to bespeak to our constituents that we were going to articulation the battle, truthful to speak, against those tariffs," said Mayor Alan MacNevin, whose municipality includes Little Current. 

But MacNevin said contempt intentions for the municipality to debar American products and services whenever possible, it can't ever beryllium done.

"[For] things similar occurrence trucks and garbage trucks, often the manufacturers for definite parts of those vehicles travel from the U.S.," helium said.

"Generally speaking, successful a tiny assemblage similar ours, determination wouldn't beryllium a batch of situations wherever that happens, but [it's] mostly large purchases for those kinds of things."

Cities and towns across northeastern Ontario are grappling with their procurement contracts arsenic galore marque efforts to chopped retired American products and services to enactment Canada's broader defiance of current and projected tariffs.

In Elliot Lake, councillors debated whether oregon not the metropolis should spell up with purchasing a $205,000 shade operation for a waterfront parkland that was manufactured successful the U.S. yet deciding to spell up with the contract.

Deputy Mayor Charlie Flintoff said that portion the parts for the shelter would beryllium made successful the U.S., the city's declaration is with a institution based successful Paris, Ont., called ABC Recreation, that will beryllium installing the structure.

"It's analyzable for astir apt each municipality retired there," Flintoff said.

"Do we conscionable halt doing business? Do we not spell guardant with our strategical plan? Let's accidental thing broke astatine a h2o attraction works and we needed to bid a portion from the U.S., are we not going to bid the part?"

The City of Elliot Lake utilized a procurement strategy from a not-for-profit enactment called the Canoe Procurement Group of Canada to take its shadiness structure.

Canoe acts arsenic a one-stop-shop for municipal procurement and tin prevention clip and wealth due to the fact that galore projects are pre-approved. For example, if Elliot Lake went up with its ain petition for proposals for the prima shelter, it would necessitate plans from an technologist earlier going to tender.

Tyler Hannemann, Canoe's wide manager, said the municipalities that usage their services are present asking much questions astir suppliers successful an effort to bargain Canadian.

"So it's been precise tricky," helium said.

"I would say, you know, crossed Canada, a batch of municipal governments person questions and are looking astatine supporting section and, and looking astatine who they're utilizing and what contracts they person successful place."

But Hannemann said adjacent purchasing thing arsenic straightforward arsenic tires for a municipal fleet tin contiguous challenges if the extremity is to bargain Canadian.

"So successful our tyre programme for instance, we person Michelin Tire, which is simply a French institution that has manufacturing operations successful Canada," helium said.

"But we besides person Goodyear. That's an American institution and it has manufacturing successful the states. It has manufacturing successful Argentina [and] Asia arsenic well."

Hannemann said Canoe besides works with Canadian suppliers specified arsenic Kal Tire and Fountain Tire that transportation brands from astir the world.

Concessions astatine Sault arenas spell Canadian

In Sault Ste. Marie — which has been deed by U.S. tariffs connected its section alloy accumulation —  municipal arenas are moving distant from American nutrient options for concessions.

Mayor Matthew Shoemaker said the metropolis is looking astatine different areas to bargain Canadian, specified arsenic purchasing caller occurrence engines made successful Manitoba.

But helium added the metropolis volition ne'er beryllium capable to afloat divest itself of American products oregon suppliers.

"The proviso concatenation for the past 80 positive years has go truthful integrated that to disintegrate it would instrumentality an equivalent magnitude of time," Shoemaker said.

"Yes, we're going done our commercialized disagreements astatine the moment, mostly driven by 1 idiosyncratic whose every whim is being acquiesced by his party. But determination volition beryllium a restoration of mean relationships betwixt the 2 countries. I'm assured of that."

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario says tariffs could summation municipal infrastructure costs by $1 cardinal connected astir $50 cardinal successful planned expenditures implicit the adjacent 2 years.

"Municipalities tin usage the 2.1 per cent municipal superior outgo summation to assistance pass decisions connected upcoming contracts," the enactment said.