The City of Waterloo continues to set its sights on local with city councillors getting an update on the City of Waterloo’s 10 Point U.S. Tariff Plan on Monday.
Boasting a focus on keeping local tax dollars in Canada, the report from staff shows 100 per cent of purchases by the city’s procurement team have stayed on this side of the border.
That includes nearly $43 million awarded to Canadian businesses.
Of that, 41 per cent of those contracts stayed local, a large focus of the 10-point plan, which was approved on May 26, 2025.
The city hasn’t been immune to the numerous U.S. tariffs, but the report notes the city has only been tagged for a “minimal tariff cost” of $15,000.
“This could be related to tariffs are not being itemized by all vendors, tariffs not being passed on by suppliers, or that tariffs have had minimal impact on city purchases to date,” read the report.
One purchase the City of Waterloo was taxed on, included seven new trucks, charged an additional US$1,500 per unit, something staff said could have been much higher.
“Staff were successful in negotiating a tariff cap of US$3,500 per vehicle for seven trucks being purchased. The cab-and-chassis units have now been delivered and tariffs paid. Tariffs incurred were US$1,500 per unit, a savings of US$14,000 from the anticipated cost.”
As for what’s to come, the next six months of the plan, the city has several grant submissions on the go to help support local companies.
This includes looking into the Trade-Impacted Communities Program, which focuses on expanding technology in the health sector internationally and “without reliance on the U.S. market.”