NEWS RELEASE
NIAGARA COMMUNITY BENEFITS NETWORK
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A recent directive issued by Frank Campion, Mayor of Welland, under the Strong Mayor Powers of the Municipal Act, 2001, mandates the immediate development and implementation of a temporary procurement policy putting Canadian goods first.
We understand that in these chaotic times, protecting Canadian jobs is important if not vital. However, as good as this sounds, Niagara cities and municipalities can and should go further.
We can help build vibrant communities by simply asking procurement to level the playing field so that qualified small, local businesses will benefit along with larger Canadian corporations. We can ask procurement to include in their qualifications employers who pay a living wage or participate in training programs that bring new, less traditional candidates into the workforce.
Every purchase has a social, economic, cultural, and environmental impact. Social procurement is about using our existing purchasing to capture those impacts to achieve overarching institutional, governmental, or individual goals that help shape inclusive, vibrant, and healthy communities.
“Let’s ensure that Canadian businesses, large and small, benefit from the economic opportunities that buying Canadian will bring to Niagara communities,” said Martha Tatarnic, Chair of Niagara Community Benefits Network. “This is a great opportunity to unite the citizens of Niagara and use our purchasing power to provide the greatest benefit to all.”
Social procurement policies have been adopted by cities and small municipalities across Canada. Last year, Niagara Region councillors unanimously voted to direct the Region to adopt social procurement principles for the over $500 million spent by the Region each year. The City of St. Catharines has instructed staff to launch a social procurement pilot in the coming months.
Buying Canadian has never been more important, and rightly so. We need to protect Canadian jobs. But in doing so we now have an opportunity to focus this energy to benefit and grow our qualified small business, bring new skilled workers into the workforce, and reward companies that pay a fair wage and are mindful of their environmental footprint.
We all need to be aware of where we invest our purchasing dollars. The Niagara Community Benefits Network believes we can ensure that the great economic profit of our municipal purchasing decisions include investment in Canada while building the Region we all need.
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