Barrie mayor provides tariff-related support to the business community

Mayor Alex Nuttall visited a Barrie manufacturer to get a glimpse of local companies, businesses, and manufacturers who have chosen to do business in the City. (Supplied)

Barrie mayor, Alex Nuttall, paid a visit to a nearby manufacturer to help gain insights into the firms that have decided to operate within the city.

As trade dynamics between Canada and the United States continue to change, the City says they are here to support the community.

Officials are encouraging residents to continue to show their national pride. “Buying local, provincial, and Canadian goods and services will help reinvest in our economy,” shared Barrie officials.

In a CTV interview last Wednesday, Barrie mayor Alex Nuttall sat down to discuss the potential economic impact of sweeping reciprocal tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump.

He expressed the uncertainty the tariffs may create for the City’s manufacturing sector, saying that a lot remains ‘up in the air’.

Invest Barrie is one way the City plans to help businesses navigate tariff-related challenges. Invest Barrie is taking action to support our local business community by:

• Providing updated information, tools, and resources related to provincial and federal responses.
• Exploring new global trade opportunities to support local companies in diversifying markets.
• Supporting supply chain localization by promoting local capabilities through the City’s business directory and opportunities to buy Canadians.
• Continuing to leverage then City’s existing relationships in European markets to identify more business and trade opportunities.
• Increasing outreach to our business community to understand tariff impacts.
• Offering one-on-one business consultations that are industry specific.
• Connecting businesses with key trade organizations and government partners.

“There’s a lot of work to do in terms of how we’re going to be able to stand beside our industry here in the city of Barrie,” said Nuttall last week. “I think we’re very fortunate to have such a strong manufacturing sector, and we need to make sure that we’re able to preserve it and grow it going forward.”

He emphasized that while uncertainty in the U.S. remains a challenge, Barrie must focus on strengthening domestic production.

“So, if there’s going to be continued uncertainty to the south, we need to focus on domestic production, get rid of those internal trade barriers that, exist between the province. And we need to look east and west to be able to take our products around the world,” he shared in an interview with CTV.

Nuttall thanked locals, “Barrie is home to more than 300 manufacturing businesses, employing over 7,400 people. We take pride in our City’s long history of manufacturing. Thank you to our local manufacturers for investing in Barrie, for providing employment for our residents, and for giving back to the community,” he said.