March 20, 2025 - TORONTO, ON - While a trade war between the U.S. and Canada unleashes large-scale changes on the world stage, it’s main streets and downtowns, local businesses, and neighborhoods that will feel the immediate consequences, says a new resource, including a ‘tariff impact tracker’, being released today by the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI).
Now is the time to pull together multi-sectoral, across region coalitions to make plans and take steps to strengthen our main street economies, said CUI CEO Mary W. Rowe. “Our economic futures are in everyone’s hands. Municipal governments are rolling out their best strategies, as are local businesses, which need to be matched with provincial/territorial and federal incentives and supports.”
“We are at a crucial inflection point affecting the commercial and social viability of our communities,” Rowe said, “and need the best solutions to strengthen new supply chains and consumer choices that build our local, regional, provincial and national economies.”
There are also $3.7-billion worth of tariffs on agricultural and food products from China that puts even more pressure on Canadian exporters.
To future-proof Canada's economy, we must diversify trade, strengthen local supply chains, and break down barriers like interprovincial trade restrictions, the report suggests. The goal is an “adaptable economic system that prioritizes local stability while staying globally competitive.”
CUI has focused its work on strengthening local economies for over a decade, and they are helping lead the way again in making a true impact. They have launched a new online living resource for governments at all levels, the business community and individuals who want to support their local economy.
The resource includes:
- A ‘Tariff Impact Tracker’ – searchable by municipality - tracking month over month and year over year data on individual communities small and large to be updated regularly.
- Convening the Big City Executive Partnership to build robust, reciprocal, direct and sustainable relationships among senior officials from Canada’s largest cities and their counterparts in the other orders of government to ensure policy making and investment decisions benefit from local knowledge and expertise.
- Municipal Action Tracker documenting the actions implemented by municipalities across Canada to support businesses impacted by tariffs.
- Highlighting innovative ideas and solutions at the local level such as local restaurants marketing “tariff discount days” and
- Hosting CityTalk Live with experts discussing the evolving news on tariffs, the impact on local communities and innovative solutions.
- The Main Street Action Network – a growing network of partners that fosters shared knowledge, actionable insights, and scalable solutions to support the resilience and vitality of main streets.
- Main Street Metrics Dashboards – a custom solution that empowers local leaders, business owners, and policymakers with the data they need to move beyond anecdotes and take action backed by real evidence.
- Tariff Impact Community Survey – a crowdsourcing survey to help the Canadian Urban Institute and other Canadian leaders understand the impacts of announced and anticipated tariffs on Canada’s local economies.
Local economies faced similar, daunting challenges before. “The decisive actions we collectively took during the pandemic were pivotal in bolstering the capacity of local economies to swiftly adapt to new challenges, ensuring their competitiveness and viability,” Rowe said.
“Tariffs present a formidable new challenge, but the critical lessons learned during the pandemic taught us that together we can overcome again with resilience and determination and create the changes to future-proof our local economies.”
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Media contact:
- Anne Marie Aikins
- CUI, media consultant
- 416-728-4873
- aaikins@canurb.org
About Canadian Urban Institute (CUI): CUI is Canada’s urban policy and research hub, working with communities, governments, and businesses to build more resilient, inclusive, and economically vibrant cities. Through data, leadership, and place-based solutions, CUI strengthens the backbone of Canada’s local economies—our main streets.
Photo Credit: Unsplash | Narciso Arellano, Toronto Islands