American-furniture purchase shows confusion over Windsor's council's 'buy Canadian' request
CBC
City staff will bring back new buy Canadian policy options for council to mull over after taxpayers criticized a $285,000 order of American-made outdoor furniture purchased last month.
Days before that purchase was approved, council directed staff to buy Canadian goods and services when it's financially and operationally reasonable to "support local and domestic businesses and workers."
Coun. Kieran McKenzie, who introduced the motion, is worried that might still be left for interpretation.
"All of it was with the intention of really trying to dig into: where can we buy Canadian wherever possible?" said McKenzie during Monday's council meeting.
Senior administration seemed to agree, telling council they need more clear direction on when to prioritize Canadian goods and services.
Windsor's chief administrative officer, Ray Mansour, said staff need to know if they're looking for "what's the best deal financially for the taxpayer or do we want to buy Canadian at all cost when it's available?"
The discussion about buying Canadian was reignited after taxpayers questioned councillors about a CBC News report outlining the city's staff purchase of American-made furniture for the outdoor ice rink at city hall.
City engineer David Simpson told council that staff "fully followed council direction" by purchasing the furniture, adding that it came in under budget while highlighting the quality and superior warranty.
Councillor Fred Francis had previously suggested cancelling the purchase because of the backlash and was told that would cost the city a penalty of $90,000.
City staff have said that 10 suppliers were considered including Canadian companies.
But the city has not said what the cost difference would have been between those suppliers.
Windsor has not made any changes to its procurement policy while the trade war with the United States continues but is considering options.
In March, the province restricted United States businesses from provincial procurements with certain exemptions.
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