The City of Sault Ste. Marie is encouraging local vendors to bid on municipal contracts, Brent Lamming, director of community services, will tell city council next week.
"The City of Sault Ste. Marie is continuing to monitor the trade tariff situation closely and is actioning appropriate mitigation strategies to work with vendors and buying groups to try to mitigate tariff impacts," Lamming says in a report prepared for Mayor Matthew Shoemaker and councillors.
Lamming will provide some examples of where the city buys stuff:
"Milk and ice cream is purchased locally from Lock City Dairy. Lock City Dairy sources most of its milk from farms in the Algoma and North Shore regions," he says.
"The city purchases coffee from Mother Parkers. The head office is in Mississauga, and supply for Sault Ste. Marie is procured out of an Elliot Lake warehouse. Mother Parkers Coffee is a well-known Canadian coffee manufacturer that sources its coffee from various regions around the world, though specific sourcing details such as the countries or farms are typically proprietary.
"Popcorn is purchased from Poppa Corn from Elliot Lake Warehouse via head office with primary operations in Mississauga, Ontario.
"The pouring rights contract is with Molson Coors Beverage Company (Molson Canada 2005). Under that contract, the city can sell up to 15 per cent local, which the team uses to its full potential with Northern Superior, Outspoken, and Soo Falls breweries here in Sault Ste. Marie. The beverage contract is held with PepsiCo Beverages Canada.
"All other products are sourced locally for items such as tomatoes and lettuce due to risk of spoilage. Those purchases are from National Grocers, which is a division of Loblaws Canada," Lamming said.
The City of Sault Ste. Marie is also monitoring the trade tariff situation and working with vendors and buying groups to try to mitigate tariff impacts.
In a similar vein, the following resolution will be presented to city council on Monday:
Product of Algoma District labelling
Mover: Coun. S. Hollingsworth
Seconder: Coun. C. Gardi
Whereas the threat of tariffs has an overwhelming majority of individuals choosing Canadian products instead of American-made alternatives; and
Whereas grocery stores nationwide have put out helpful maple leaf labels to identify products that are sourced from, or otherwise made in, Canada; and
Whereas Sault Ste. Marie has many great growers and suppliers that provide items from milk to bakery products, to coffee to beer;
Now therefore be it resolved that the Economic Development department be requested to review the cost of producing stickers or other labels that identify a product as being from the Algoma District, and report to council at the April 7, 2025 council meeting on the cost of providing such labels to local grocers or vendors free of charge.