In a move to save staff time and the city money, city council has restored the city's purchasing policy.
After discussion at the April 29 committee of the whole meeting, the committee recommended council remove restrictions on purchasing and instead return to the city's purchasing policy, while also directing staff to continue to purchase Canadian goods and services at the operational level wherever possible.
On March 18, 2025, council had passed a resolution brought forward by Coun. Scott Nelson in response to U.S. tariffs to put major capital purchases on hold until further direction is provided by the provincial or federal governments.
According to a report by Jenni Hoyer, the city's procurement and asset management coordinator, while higher levels of government made a call encouraging people to buy B.C. and Canadian, no specific direction was issued to municipalities by those levels of government.
The report provided council with three options: continue to hold off on major purchases; to amend their purchasing policy to permit preference to Canadian purchases, only allowing U.S. purchases when procurement cannot be delayed and when U.S. business has significant operations in Canada; or remove purchasing restrictions and return to procuring under the existing purchasing policy.
Mayor Surinderpal Rathor said he wholeheartedly supports the Team Canada approach, but emphasized the importance of allowing staff to make decisions regarding safety and operations.
"I do not want to send the wrong signal to the community," he said, noting he will lead with his personal example and said he and his wife cancelled a cruise in the U.S. they had booked last year, losing a deposit.
Coun. Joan Flaspohler said some of the time spent by staff could be better used and the city could have lost a grant if council had not approved an exception to the purchasing restriction resolution.
"If we stay on this path and don't support going back to our original purchasing policy, then we're going to lose opportunities and it's going to cost the municipality and the people in it," said Flaspohler.
Coun. Shela Boehm argued for option two, which would require a change in bylaw, pointing out her own purchasing choices.
"I feel like we have to try," she said. "I haven't had broccoli in a couple months because it's all from the U.S."
Coun. Scott Nelson credited Premier David Eby with finding creative ways to continue to pressure the United States and didn't want to support returning to the old purchasing policy.
"I think we just have to remain very firm and very strong," he said, framing holding off on large purchases as a show of support for local mining and forest sector workers.
"In reality, this is costing a lot of extra time and money for staff," said Gary Muraca, chief administrative officer for the city. He said staff have been writing multiple reports for everything they want to purchase and the high tariffs mean in the procurement process, U.S. goods will come out more expensive anyhow.
Coun. Jazmyn Lyons, who owns a retail business in the community, agreed with Muraca the procurement process will filter out U.S. goods, as tariffs raise the cost of those goods.
The final vote saw both Boehm and Nelson vote against the recommendation, however the motion passed.
