WELLINGTON COUNTY – The Western Ontario Wardens’ Caucus (WOWC) recently provided businesses in 15 counties, including Wellington, an opportunity to share how they are affected by tariffs imposed by the U.S.
On March 4 the U.S. government placed a 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods and a month later, 25% on Canadian automobiles came into effect.
The WOWC’s Tariff Impact Survey, released on Feb. 1 and closed on April 30, aims to help the caucus better understand how companies in the region have been dealing with the impacts of tariffs.
“Over half of the respondents (154) are from small [businesses] so … one to 10 employees,” WOWC executive director Kate Burns Gallagher told the Advertiser.
A total of 226 businesses from a range of sectors participated in the 10-question survey, including agriculture, manufacturing, retail, tourism and hospitality.
According to survey data, approximately 40% of respondents reported that over 25% of their revenue is dependent on U.S. trade, with the most common impacts being increased input costs and reduced export demand.
Data shows the businesses are responding by seeking alternative markets, adjusting prices and requesting government support.
“For us at [Wellington County], where we have an economic development mandate and work very closely with our member municipalities, it’s important to understand what our businesses are going through,” Wellington Place administrator Jana Burns said in an interview.
She explained the next step for the caucus is to analyze the information and “delve down into what the businesses were saying.”
As for long-term strategies, expanding into new markets was high on the list to mitigate the impacts, followed by advocacy and policy development.
Businesses also indicated a strong preference for tax relief and direct financial assistance as key forms of government support.
“Having this survey and doing it regionally with the [WOWC] was … the best opportunity and it’s going to be great to look at this data across the region,” said Burns.
The survey asked participants what kind of support would be most helpful from their county, and 119 voted for business grants or funding opportunities. Other ways include marketing support and enhanced communication of available resources.
According to Burns, the main problems businesses are experiencing is sourcing products elsewhere and “looking for help getting into new markets.”
“They (businesses) are telling us that the best way to communicate with them is through e-newsletters so it’s confirming a lot of our existing work,” she said.
“This enables us at the municipal and elected-official level to be able to have concrete evidence that we can use for advocacy … whether it be infrastructure funding requests or economic supports from businesses, to have that information and understanding of what businesses are experiencing.”
The insights gathered in this survey will inform WOWC’s ongoing policy advocacy and regional economic development initiatives, officials stated.
WOWC is a not-for-profit organization representing 15 upper and single-tier municipalities.
