City council in Williams Lake voted to halt all purchases from the United States until a report on the implications of adjusting purchases was presented.
A lengthy discussion and debate came about in the final moments of the March 4 city council meeting at city hall, just as the meeting was about to adjourn.
Coun. Scott Nelson pushed for ending any purchases from the United States in response to the U.S. tariffs being implemented by President Donald Trump.
After hearing from staff how this could cause problems with procurement processes already underway, some council members moved for a more measured approach.
“There’s things that need to get done, and I see this as just tying staff’s hands,” said Coun. Angie Delaney, cautioning an extreme motion could lead to a service level disruption to citizens.
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor said he supported Nelson’s resolution, though he pointed out a recommendation from a consultant who gave a workshop for the council earlier in the day to not make “on the fly” resolutions in response to late items or presentations.
Council had already unanimously resolved for the city to show support for both B.C. and Canada in the case of a trade war. At the Feb. 4 regular council meeting, city staff were directed to prioritize purchasing Canadian and to refrain from purchasing goods or services from the United States where possible.
Council had also already directed staff to look at the budget and city spending and to bring back a report on items which may be sourced from elsewhere and the implications of not purchasing from the United States for the city’s budget.
Despite these, however, Nelson, called for the more drastic measures.
Gary Muraca, chief administrative officer for the city, said purchasing policies as a response to tariffs was a hot topic at the recent CAO conference he attended. Muraca said he is waiting for some information from the Federation of Canadian Municipalities to help guide cities to ensure they don’t violate trade agreements by changing policies.
“We just want to make sure that this is going to be supported federally,” explained Muraca, noting the city’s finance and economic development staff are also looking into the issue. Muraca pointed out the city’s website is hosted by an American company. The report is scheduled to be presented March 11.
“We’re not going to go shut down our website. So, these are things that we have to give you information on,” said Muraca.
Nelson, however, said he was willing to shut down the website in order to send a message.
Muraca said big purchases were already going to be held off in an effort to ensure as much as possible, purchases would be Canadian made.
Vitali Kozubenko, chief financial officer for the city, cautioned against being too rigid on purchasing because nearly all larger equipment the city purchases is made in the United States.
“If you want to stop buying from the U.S., you basically have to stop buying all the fleet equipment,” explained Kozubenko.
Staff requested clarification on whether purchasing in-stock items at a local business in Williams Lake would also be halted under Nelson’s proposed resolution, which Nelson said, yes, it would be.
“This is a political decision and a political decision that will have ramifications on our budget,” said Nelson, who said he would not sign cheques for anything made in the U.S.A.
Nelson repeatedly spoke over the chair as he pushed for the resolution.
Muraca cautioned the city could face possible liabilities or risks if they go ahead with a restriction before the report from staff.
The resolution was to halt purchases for one week until the report can be brought forward from staff at the March 11 committee of the whole meeting.
The motion passed with Rathor, Nelson, Coun. Sheila Boehm and Coun. Michael Moses voting in favour of it .
Coun. Joan Flaspohler, Coun. Jazmyn Lyons and Delainey voted against the motion.
