More steps are being taken to help ease the burden of US tariffs on Calgary companies, but direct financial aid isn’t on the table.  

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said the third meeting of the tariff advisory group was held Tuesday, with the group zeroing in on ways to aid local businesses and industries.

“Our tariff advisory group is crucial as we navigate through the complexities of international tariffs that are impacting local, regional and national economies,” she told reporters.

“Our focus is on strategic planning and strong advocacy to lessen these impacts and to strengthen our economic future.”

Among the actions being taken are sharing resources and improving collaboration among different businesses, the mayor said.

“Accurate, timely information is vital for businesses to effectively source products, both domestically and internationally, where tariffs are less impactful,” she said.

They’re partnering with the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and Calgary Economic Development to make these resources accessible for all industries and businesses.

They’re also creating an online resource list for alternative sourcing of tariff-impacted goods, and the promotion of apps that aid in retail and wholesale sourcing.

The mayor said they’re also looking at tariff exemptions to help support local businesses, particularly in machinery and engine parts for both the aviation and agriculture industries. The group also discussed proposals for mutual recognition of business licences across regions.

“The Chamber highlighted the success of the New West partnership between the four western provinces that reduces barriers to trade and increases labour mobility,” Mayor Gondek said.  

“This demonstrates that there are great ideas out there, and we can borrow from them to improve business growth in our region.”

There’s also an ongoing opportunity to work together as a region on aligning purchasing.

“The strategic alignment not only supports our local businesses, but it also ensures that taxpayer money is used effectively, and that we are achieving more with every dollar that we have spent,” she said.

City changes procurement weightings

The mayor said the City of Calgary has also taken specific steps in its procurement to increase the weighting of the social procurement questionnaire for goods and services. It will be increased from five per cent to 10, where possible. It will be applied to purchases over $75,000 for goods and services and over $200,000 for construction.

The City of Calgary is also going to get three quotes from local supplies where possible on smaller purchases – that’s up from just getting one local quote. If that’s not possible, they will prioritize Canadian companies.

“We are making conscious decisions to Buy Local or Canadian where we can, to decrease our reliance on U.S. suppliers, to further support our economy,” said Amit Patil, Director of Supply Management, in a news release put out earlier this week.

While efforts are being made to help remove barriers for businesses in the wake of US tariffs, Mayor Gondek said that financial help likely isn’t coming.

“Direct financial relief is something that as a municipality, would be really difficult for us to do,” the mayor said.

Mayor Gondek did say that City CFO Les Tochor is a part of the advisory group, and questions have been raised about the easing business licensing fees or other cost barriers when working with the city.

“We continue to look at what it is that we can do,” she said.

The City is also continuing a push for citizens to buy local, and they’ve created online resources where local companies can find more information on action the City is taking to help.