London-area conservation authority hones in on 'Buy Canadian' movement

Buying local and Canadian may be a good way to show support for Canada in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff and annexation threats, but it's also just good for the environment, one London-area conversation authority says.

Next week, Upper Thames River Conservation Authority's (UTRCA) board of directors will discuss changing the agency's purchasing policies to encourage staff to choose local when contracting goods and services.

"The UTRCA prefers local supply," the recommendation reads.

"Being an environmental organization, it's been part of our normal practice and our purchasing regulations to look locally," said Tracy Annett, UTRCA's general manager. Shorter delivery distances means a reduced environmental impact.

But as the Canadian economy braces for U.S. tariffs, and reciprocal Canadian tariffs, emphasizing that local sourcing strategy has taken on a whole new importance.

"We have a number of member municipalities in our watershed. Almost all are councillors that sit around our boardroom table to make these decisions, and all are hearing these same concerns about how we can reduce the impacts of tariffs," she said.

UTRCA tries to source local or Canadian as much as possible, but some things can only be purchased, for now, from the U.S, said Teresa Hollingsworth, UTRCA's manager of community and corporate services.

"The kinds of things that we have trouble sourcing are things like stream flow or monitoring equipment … If we need parts or repairs, we still would be forced to get those from the U.S.," she said.

WATCH | Helping Canadians pick out local goods

Hollingsworth said UTRCA's expenditure budget covers everything from campground supplies, water and wildlife monitoring tools, and flood control, office and IT equipment.

"Our purpose really is to make sure our staff is always thinking about 'if we can get this local, we need to buy local.'"

In discussions, UTRCA will be reflecting on: What constitutes local and Canadian, and would such a directive preclude sourcing from other countries? A memo going before the meeting notes interprovincial trade barriers may also make Canadian procurement more challenging.

Other local conservation authorities are looking at their own procurement. St. Clair Region Conservation Authority hasn't brought the issue to its board, but has been looking internally at where its suppliers are from, its general manager said.

"We're looking at replacing some of our lawn mowing equipment," said Ken Phillips. "Where does that come from? Do we need to expedite the process to maintain that we can avoid tariffs?"