The City of Kitchener is doubling down on its push to get residents and businesses buying local as trade uncertainty and U.S. tariffs threaten the economy. City officials unveiled a new five-point action plan on Monday aimed at safeguarding local employment, redirecting city procurement spending and expanding resources for trade-vulnerable sectors. “Kitchener is really just stepping up again, building on the foundational work we did last year and seeing how we continue to support local businesses going forward,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. A recent study by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce ranked the Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo region as the fourth most vulnerable metropolitan area in Canada to the proposed U.S. tariffs. More than 90 per cent of local exports go to the United States, generating $17.8 billion or 46.5 per cent of the region’s total gross domestic product, according to the city. The city’s strategy focuses on five core areas: Vrbanovic admitted implementing the plan will take significant effort, including direct advocacy with leaders in Queen’s Park, Ottawa, and border-state mayors in the U.S. “We all hope that the U.S. administration will see that we are, in fact, all stronger together, that the decisions they’re making are hurting their own population,” Vrbanovic said. “We want to make sure that Canada, Canadian business, and Canadians are being protected.” City officials are also encouraging residents to use their everyday shopping to support neighborhood retailers. “During the Thanksgiving period at the market, during Oktoberfest, during the Christkindl market, which will be expanded to two weeks. Those are really ways to also support some local artisans and craftspeople and others,” he said. The initiative builds on the work of Kitchener’s Tariff and Trade Task Force, which city council reactivated last month to help local businesses navigate trade barriers, adapt to shifting markets, and protect jobs.
