Ontario Construction News staff writer
Mayors across Waterloo Region are urging residents and businesses to support local and Canadian companies as the latest Canada-U.S. trade dispute creates uncertainty for manufacturers, exporters and families.
The statements from Kitchener, Cambridge and Waterloo mayors come after the breakdown of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations and the imposition of new U.S. tariffs.
Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic announced Aug. 25 that the City of Kitchener was reactivating its Tariff and Trade Task Force, originally established in 2025 in response to earlier tariff threats.
“For Kitchener, this is particularly challenging,” Vrbanovic said. “Our local manufacturing economy is deeply connected to continental supply chains, and export markets. When tariffs disrupt those relationships, the consequences are felt by local employers, workers and families.”
Vrbanovic said the renewed task force will build on measures undertaken last year, including strengthening Buy Canadian and Buy Local procurement, working with suppliers to identify Canadian alternatives, engaging with trade-exposed businesses, supporting import substitution and launching a Support Local campaign with community and business partners.
“Now we must go further,” Vrbanovic said.
The task force will examine additional opportunities to strengthen local and Canadian procurement, support affected businesses and workers, identify vulnerable industries for government advocacy and help companies diversify into Canadian and international markets.
Kitchener will also work with other governments and business organizations, including Waterloo Region Economic Development, to advocate for meaningful assistance.
“The breakdown of Canada–U.S. trade negotiations and the imposition of the new tariffs mark a deeply concerning escalation in an economic conflict that neither country ultimately wins,” Vrbanovic said.
He added that Canada should remain open to negotiations but should not accept a deal that compromises the country’s economic interests or sovereignty.
Cambridge Mayor Jan Liggett also addressed the trade conflict in a statement to residents Aug. 31, saying the region has faced trade uncertainty with the United States before.
“This is not the first time that Canadians have been impacted by trade disagreements with the United States,” Liggett said. “Since the early 1900s, Canadians have faced and overcome uncertainty when negotiating trade deals with our neighbours to the south. History teaches us that we will overcome this too.”
Liggett said she has heard concerns from businesses and families in Cambridge and will advocate to senior levels of government on their behalf.
“While this is a difficult time, it is also an opportunity to strengthen our economy, support local businesses, diversify our trade relationships, and come together as Canadians,” she said.
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe issued a statement Sept. 1 on behalf of herself and Waterloo city council, thanking the prime minister and federal government for continuing to work toward a trade agreement.
“We support the direction that no deal is better than a bad deal – especially one that could have long-term consequences,” McCabe said. “Even with a change in U.S. government, trade will not return to how it worked before.”
McCabe pointed to efforts already underway in Waterloo to strengthen the local economy and reduce dependence on U.S. markets, including a recent $600,000 city investment supporting an export-ready health technology sector expected to create local jobs.
She also highlighted partnerships designed to strengthen regional innovation and economic resilience.
“We encourage all cities, provinces and residents across Canada to continue buying Canadian products,” McCabe said.
Closer to home, Waterloo is continuing its Support Local, Support Waterloo campaign, which promotes local businesses and encourages residents to support them.
“Small, everyday choices can and will make a big difference,” McCabe said.
The three mayors’ comments come as businesses across the Waterloo Region navigate changing tariffs and supply-chain conditions.
For the region’s construction and manufacturing sectors, the trade dispute could have implications beyond companies that directly export to the United States, as tariffs can affect suppliers, material costs and interconnected North American supply chains.
The mayors are emphasizing local procurement, business diversification and economic resilience as key elements of the region’s response to the ongoing trade uncertainty.
