Barrie Mayor Alex Nuttall met with local MPPs Doug Downey and Andrea Khanjin, along with representatives from the city’s manufacturing sector, to discuss the ongoing tariff tensions between Canada and the United States.
Nuttall emphasized the importance of listening to local manufacturers’ concerns and gathering their feedback on the ongoing trade challenges.
“I recently met with MPP Andrea Khanjin, MPP Doug Downey and local manufacturing businesses to get their feedback and concerns,” he said. “We will continue to work in the best interest of Barrie residents and hope to be able to talk more about it soon.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce states that Barrie ranks 19th among 41 Canadian cities most impacted by American tariffs. With over 90 per cent of the city’s exports— valued at more than $766 million — shipped to the United States, local businesses could face economic challenges.
Earlier this month, Nuttall indicated that he would explore additional measures for the City of Barrie to counter U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
“I signed a strong mayor’s directive to look at all of our procurement policies,” he said. “It means all purchasing everywhere through the corporation will fall in line with what Premier Doug Ford has outlined his administration. We need to show a unified solidarity as we move forward.”
He said that a unified approach is vital to sustaining job growth in the city but noted that the next steps remain to be determined.
“It means having meaningful impacts and hopefully part of those impacts are more jobs created in our community,” he said. “We will see where it all lands – I’m sure there is more we can look at though.”
On March 5, Nuttall ordered the removal of all US flags from Barrie properties, including community centres. He described the move as a statement of unity with Canadians impacted by the ongoing trade tensions.
