GUELPH – The Upper Grand District School Board has passed a policy to avoid purchasing from American suppliers whenever possible.
Trustees voted in favour of a motion calling for divestment from U.S. goods and services that was brought forward by trustee Luke Weiler on Feb. 25.
The motion states, “The Government of the United States has acted to impose tariffs on Canadian goods, the effect of which will be to harm our entire society, nation, province and specifically to cause serious economic harm to many of the families whose children attend the [UGDSB].”
U.S. tariffs went into effect on March 4, including 25 per cent on Canadian exports and 10% on Canadian energy.
Weiler said, “These tariffs represent an attack on our constituents,” and he presented the motion in solidarity with UGDSB constituents and their families.
“Approximately 35,000 students attend [UGDSB schools]. These students have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and guardians.”
He added, “Many of these people are going to lose their jobs because of this. Some of our students are going to have trouble sleeping at night, wondering if their families are going to be okay.
“Some of our students are going to lose their homes.”
The purpose of the motion is to direct staff to avoid purchasing goods and services originating from the U.S., Weiler said, in “direct response to the tariffs the American president Donald Trump has enacted.”
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce estimates a 25% tariff on U.S. imports would cause Canada’s GDP to shrink by about 2.6%, or about $78 billion, which would cost individual Canadians about $1,900 annually.
“Ontario is particularly vulnerable because of its large internationally geared auto-sector,” Weiler said, and Guelph “has been identified as the sixth most vulnerable city in the country,” with exports to the U.S. representing about 33% of the city’s GDP.
“Canadians are understandably upset,” Weiler said, noting they did not ask for a trade war or for the threat of being annexed by the U.S.
Many Canadians are taking individual actions, he noted, by reading labels at the grocery store and doing what they can to avoid American products.
“Our school board has an operating budget of $523 million,” Weiler said. “We purchase $34 million in supplies and services, $41 million in contracts, $2 million in equipment, $17 million on renovations … I propose to direct these resources away from American suppliers and service providers where available or feasible.
“I think it is the moral thing to do and I think it strengthens the message that there will be a forceful response to this assault on our country. It further highlights the problem and provides a model for other individuals and organizations,” Weiler said.
His motion specifically calls for UGDSB staff to:
- immediately pause the negotiation or execution of any contracts with American suppliers, so long as a comparable non-American supplier is available;
- conduct a review of existing business relationships to determine which are with American suppliers and identify those for which a comparable non-American supplier is available and of those, identify if/when they can be ended without financial repercussions for the board, and take necessary steps to end them;
- for those American suppliers for which no comparable non-American supplier appears initially to be available, conduct research to proactively identify comparable non-American suppliers; and
- consider acting in concert with other school boards, municipalities, colleges, universities and hospitals, to increase our purchasing power to give greater effect to the above directions.
Weiler’s motion also notes the policy should apply to purchases made by third-party contractors as well as direct purchases.
Last week, the Advertiser asked chief financial officer Glen Regier how much the UGDSB currently spends on U.S. goods and services, which suppliers make up significant amounts of this spending, and what the expected timeline for is for carrying out the motion.
Regier said the board would “provide comments next week regarding this topic,” but the Advertiser did not receive further comment in time for publication.
Trustee Martha McNeil asked for clarification about how third party contractors could be included, and Regier said in order to figure out the specifics of how to operationalize the motion, staff would consider contract law, public sector directives and federal rules and regulations.
Typically, a notice of a motion is included in an agenda for one meeting, and then it is considered and voted on at the following meeting.
However in certain circumstances the notice can be waived, and the motion voted on during the same meeting it is initially listed on the agenda, if at least two thirds of trustees vote in favour of waiving the notice.
Trustees voted to waive the notice for the motion due to its time-sensitive nature.
“The situation is, in my view, deteriorating boldly and rapidly,” Weiler said.
