Windsor buys $285,000 worth of American-made outdoor furniture for ice rink

Chris Ensing · CBC News

· Posted: May 06, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes ago

City unit approved spending hundreds of thousands connected American-made outdoor furnishings arsenic portion of the $15.4 cardinal outdoor crystal rink downtown days aft being asked to prioritize Canadian-made goods during an ongoing commercialized war. 

The furnishings volition outgo taxpayers up to $285,957.21 for 28 seasonal outdoor metallic tables, 18 table-mounted metallic umbrellas and 10 garbage receptacles.

That's earlier taxes, according to a metropolis document.

These American-made items could beryllium taxable to the 25 per cent antagonistic tariffs astatine the Canadian border, which could summation the acquisition by $71,489.30.

The furnishings volition beryllium portion of the antecedently approved year-round lawsuit abstraction successful beforehand of metropolis hallway that volition diagnostic an outdoor h2o fountain, ice-rink, show signifier and a operation for nationalist bathrooms.

Windsor's now-retired main administrative officer, Joe Mancina approved the purchase of the outdoor furniture on April 23 with a fund of up to $405,000.

That was 9 days aft assembly told metropolis unit to backmost national and provincial calls for cities to follow a 'Buy Canadian' policy.

Why Windsor decided to bargain American-made items

It's not wide if the metropolis considered immoderate Canadian companies arsenic portion of the selecting process for the outdoor furniture.

Project head Graziano Nazzani wrote successful a study that these companies were selected due to the fact that the items would lucifer what's successful different parks, volition beryllium acquainted to unit who support the furnishings and due to the fact that the metropolis already has replacement parts connected hand. 

City technologist David Simpson said that the metropolis is purchasing the furnishings though Ontario-based Park Street Solutions Inc., a institution the metropolis has utilized for furnishings astatine different metropolis parks, similar the precocious opened riverfront Legacy Beacon.

"We already benefited from having that validated Canadian constituent of interaction for procurement logistics and besides thing having to bash with aft acquisition services," said Simpson.

"Not lone bash we consciousness we tin prevention outgo to the taxpayers erstwhile it comes to semipermanent attraction but it conscionable seemed to beryllium the astir clip expedient process to get the products."

Items could beryllium subjected by tariffs

The American-made furnishings is portion of 2 separate, sole root contracts with American-based companies:

• Maryland based Victor Stanley volition proviso the tables and garbage receptacles for $186,780.89 (before taxes and tariffs). 
• Michigan based Landscape Performs volition proviso the umbrellas for $99,166.20 (before taxes and tariffs). 

Simpson said the institution making the umbrellas apt won't beryllium taxable to Canadian tariffs astatine the borderline and that a contingency fund is successful spot for the tables and garbage receptacles. 

"We truly felt astatine the extremity of the time determination was minimal hazard oregon interaction to pricing erstwhile it came down to the imaginable reciprocal Canadian tariffs connected metals oregon alloy that's made successful the states," said Simpson.

He said a third, local company is going to install factual benches for the park.

Year-round lawsuit space, crystal rink wrong budget

This acquisition did not necessitate metropolis assembly approval. 

That's due to the fact that Windsor's bylaws springiness the CAO the powerfulness to o.k. purchases similar this if it falls wrong the project's wide fund that has antecedently been approved by metropolis council.

Council approved the $15.4 cardinal fund for the crystal rink and nationalist abstraction past June with the anticipation that it would unfastened during the winter. 

Simpson said the task is inactive wrong the antecedently approved fund but said proviso concatenation issues caused acceptable backs that prevented the crystal rink from opening up past winter.

The metropolis is contemplating opening other seasonal features, similar the fountain, signifier and bathroom, up of the crystal rink.

"Internally we're continuing to look astatine however things are coming unneurotic determination and it's each benignant of dependent upon the complaint we person the products and supplies we request to decorativeness disconnected the project," said Simpson.