The city of Waterloo has launched a campaign on Oct. 15 aimed at supporting local businesses amid the trade war with the United States.
This is part of the city’s 10-point U.S. tariff response plan to encourage residents to shop local and mitigate the effects of tariffs.
“This campaign equips businesses with resources in order for them to tell their own story, and once again reinforces when people are supporting a Waterloo business, they’re supporting jobs, families, and the long-term strength of the community as a whole,” said Dominique Charbonneau, Waterloo’s senior economic development officer.
Businesses that sign up will be provided with a free toolkit of digital (such as social media templates) and print materials (such as decals and stickers) that they can use to highlight their products, services and role in the community.
“We’ve had a good mix of brick and mortar as well as online businesses that registered thus far,” Charbonneau said. “We’ve had a few people try to register for the campaign, and they actually were part of the Region of Waterloo, they weren’t within the City of Waterloo.”
When asked, the city did not specify how many businesses had signed up so far.
To be eligible, those applying must have a business address or a physical location in Waterloo. This includes online-only businesses.
“For students, whether you’re at home or if you’re a home away from home, it’s an encouragement to discover all the amazing products, services, food industry places as well as experiences that Waterloo has to offer while they’re in school in the city,” Charbonneau said.
A report published in June by Statistics Canada noted that all businesses, regardless of whether they trade internationally, could be affected by disrupted supply chains, increased equipment costs, and decreased market stability.
Nearly one-fifth (18.1 per cent) of all businesses expect tariffs imposed by the U.S. on imports from Canada to have a high impact on their business.
“We’ve heard that some industries have been hit harder,” Charbonneau noted. “Some businesses have more of a localized plan [where they] already work with a lot of local businesses.
“Some are more impacted because there could have been cross-border trading of materials or goods. Ultimately, it’s very dependent on the sector.”
Applications can be done through the city’s website. They are then reviewed by the economic development department, and those accepted will receive instructions on how to access resources via email.
