Buy local: Ottawa city council prepares for threat of trade war with U.S.

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The City of Ottawa is beefing up its ability to buy local as a trade war looms with the United States.

More than 92 per cent of goods and services the city buys are already bought locally, although city treasurer Cyril Rogers conceded that the supply chain was complex and not all of items bought locally were truly local. Briefing councillors at their Feb. 12 meeting, Rogers outlined steps the city was taking to minimize its risk from a trade war and to support the local economy.

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Among them is a bylaw requiring the city to obtain at least three quotes on any contract, he said.

Now the city is working “to ensure, where we can, at least one of those three quotes has to be from a local vendor or supplier of services,” Rogers said.

The city will also remain wary of rising costs, he said. “There’s always options where we can revisit existing contracts where there could be issues with price escalation and cost.”

Rogers was responding to a motion by Orléans South-Navan Coun. Catherine Kitts asking for details on how the city was preparing for a potential trade war with Canada’s largest trading partner.

A study by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce placed Ottawa as No. 29 on a list that rated 41 cities on how they would be affected by U.S. tariffs. Speaking to reporters after Wednesday’s meeting, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe said the tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump said he would enforce in March weren’t the only economic threat to the city.

“This is not just a 30-day scenario. We’re seeing evidence we’re going to be dealing with economic insecurity for the next few years,” Sutcliffe said. “It’s not just because of the threat of tariffs from the new U.S. administration. We’re seeing it because of the threat of federal government job cuts and other general economic uncertainty.

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“I think this is a good occasion, regardless of what might transpire in the next 30 days, a good opportunity for us to get everyone together and do whatever we can to support the local economy. We need to protect jobs. We need to protect businesses.”

On Saturday, Flag Day, city hall will be awash in Maple Leafs with the Canadian flag flying from every pole, Sutcliffe said, and the Heritage Building will be bathed in red and white lights Saturday evening.

Along with the show of patriotism, however, Ottawa fans have booed the U.S. anthem at Ottawa Senators games, something that River Ward Coun. Riley Brockington wants to stop. Brockington quoted former U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and her famous statement: “When they go low, we go high.

“Let’s put our efforts into wearing our red and white, flying our flag and reinvigorating pride and patriotism,” Brockington said at council.

“Booing our friends’ anthem matches their crass, bully-boy behaviour and, more importantly, may awaken the sleeping eagle that may unleash the economic hardships that are possible,” he said. “Aim high, Ottawa.”

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