COLLINGWOOD - It won’t be easy for the Town of Collingwood to just start buying exclusively Canadian and town staff are recommending leaving the U.S. flags hanging in the town’s arenas, according to a new staff report.
In a lengthy report compiled by the heads of multiple town departments to be considered by Collingwood council at their committee of the whole meeting on March 31, staff have given an update on Collingwood’s push to buy Canadian in response to the U.S. trade war.
It turns out, it’s not a simple task to make the switch.
“Many of the difficulties stem from decades of mixed economic and complete reliance of the supply chain between Canada and U.S.,” reads the report.
According to the report, signed by the town’s procurement manager Michael Trueman, economic development manager Johanna Griggs, clerk Sara Almas, planning director Summer Valentine and approved by the town’s CAO, Sonya Skinner, for council consideration, the primary purchases that the town currently makes from U.S. companies are in the areas of software and engineering solutions for the water and wastewater treatment plants.
The town spent about $160,000 on U.S. products in 2024, which equates to about 0.4 per cent of the town’s annual capital spend.
“There is some heavy equipment that we purchase that could be considered a U.S. product, but we purchase these from Canadian, Ontario and local suppliers/resellers,” explains the report.
Included in the report is a section on what buying from Canadian companies actually means, as there is no universally understood definition.
“The questions we are dealing with include: How do we define a Canadian company? How do we define a U.S. company? Should a Canadian company that has the parent company in the U.S. be treated differently? How should we treat a Canadian company that sells a product that is made in the U.S? How should Canadian companies handle the reliance on the overall supply chain with the U.S? How much more would Collingwood taxpayers be willing pay for a Canadian product?” asks the report.
Under current procurement rules for municipalities, towns must “get good value for money” in order to preserve taxpayer dollars, which sometimes means having to purchase from other countries. Choosing to buy Canadian only would have an impact on taxes as costs will go up, according to the report.
“There are some products and equipment that currently are only provided by American suppliers,” notes the report.
Staff also speculated about construction projects already approved or underway in town, and whether budgets would need to be adjusted as tariffs come down the pipe and impact the costs.
At this time, staff are recommending that next steps for the town should be continuing to monitor the situation, developing strategies to mitigate the effects and providing procurement staff with training on tariffs and counter-tariffs they can use when assessing quotes and price increases from suppliers. Staff are recommending that the town continue to explore a Canadian-Only procurement practice.
However, there are other options for Collingwood council to consider that aren’t being recommended by staff right now, but could help the town show more support for Canada during this time of political turmoil.
Options listed in the report include removing the U.S. flag from the town’s two arenas, reconsidering the town’s relationship with its sister city of Boone, North Carolina, having the Canadian national anthem played at the start of council meetings, or facilitating a public meeting to talk about the U.S. tariffs in a public forum.
Mayor Yvonne Hamlin told CollingwoodToday earlier this month that she was “in support” of the U.S. flags being removed from town facilities.
“The potential removal of the American national flag from our facilities has been raised as a powerful symbolic act,” reads the report. “However, it is imperative to assess its symbolic significance in conjunction with possible ramifications, ensuring our actions align with community principles and values.”
The report notes that not only do the Collingwood Blues play in a league with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres in regular season, there are U.S.-born players on the Blues and multiple international tournaments take place in both arenas annually. There would be a $1,200 cost to remove the U.S. flag, and another $1,200 cost if the town ever wanted to put it back up at a later time.
“Our local hockey teams, and indeed all players who utilize our facilities, are not participants in the geopolitical differences at play, and they deserve hospitality and respect mirroring the reception we expect for our teams,” notes the report.
In an email on March 28 to CollingwoodToday, Hamlin said her "thinking has evolved" since her first comments on removing the US flag from the town's two arenas.
"I have come to understand that the protocol of the hockey world our teams play includes flying the opponent’s flag when they are in our arena," wrote Hamlin. "I personally don’t think we should punish these young athletes for their president’s actions on tariffs and lack of respect for our country. The final decision of whether to remove the flag should be with our own young athletes."
The report outlines that the town’s sister city program – currently between Collingwood and Zihuatanejo, Mexico; Katano, Japan; and Boone, North Carolina – has primarily focused on cultural connections up until now, but could be expanded to also focus on economic development and trade advantages if council chose that direction.
The report states that Hamlin has reached out to the mayor of Boone to discuss the town’s concerns about the U.S. trade war and advocate for support.
Hamlin confirmed she had reached out to "renew" the friendship between the two towns.
"The histories between our countries and communities have long been positive and beneficial," wrote Hamlin in her email. "Starting under President Eisenhower in the 1950s, 'sister cities' were hoped to prevent future world conflicts by connecting communities. With this in mind, it seems like a good time to reconnect and build closer ties between our towns."
To read the full report, click here.
Collingwood council meets on March 31 starting at 2 p.m., with the committee of the whole meeting immediately following the regular council meeting. Any members of the public may attend in person in council chambers at Collingwood town hall, or virtually by Zoom webinar. The meeting will also be livestreamed on the town’s YouTube channel here.
