Following is a letter to Burnaby residents from Mayor Mike Hurley
It’s important to us in the City of Burnaby that we buy Canadian, but just as important that we support our residents and local businesses to do the same.
Right now, cities across Canada are facing real economic uncertainty. Tariffs, threats, and unpredictability have a real impact on local businesses, workers, and families. Here in Burnaby, we’re standing up against bullies and standing with Canadians. The “Buy Canadian” movement is about backing each other in moments like this and doing what we can to keep our local economy strong.
Burnaby has always believed in supporting Canadian businesses. Over the past five years, more than 99.6% of the City’s total spending has been with Canadian vendors. But when Council asked staff in early 2025 to explore how we could do even better, we meant it.
How we buy Canadian
Last year we announced we would be taking specific steps as a City to support the Buy Canadian movement. These included seeking competitive quotes from Canadian-owned businesses, gaining better visibility into supply chains, working with other municipalities and provinces, and creating a dedicated working group to identify alternatives to US products.
City of Burnaby taking actions to support ‘Buy Canadian’ movement
Since then, those commitments have been put into action. An interdepartmental Buy Canadian, Buy Local Working Group met throughout 2025, bringing together operational leaders to collaborate and review the City’s procurement practices. Last month, the group held its final scheduled meeting. Moving forward, they will continue to provide quarterly updates on purchases made directly from US companies and look for opportunities to use Canadian alternatives while planning for potential future supply challenges.
City staff have prioritized Canadian and local suppliers wherever feasible, introduced new disclosure requirements in bidding documents so we better understand where materials are sourced, and actively monitored purchase requisitions through departmental heads to avoid unnecessary purchases from US-based vendors.
It’s important however to understand what is meant by, "wherever feasible".
Under trade agreements within Canada, the City must run open, competitive bidding for larger contracts, but for purchases under $75,000 for goods and services and $200,000 for construction, staff can prioritize local or Canadian-owned businesses.
Also under these agreements, US companies with a Canadian office or subsidiary are considered “Canadian”. So for example, water meters and fire trucks made in the US by US companies with Canadian subsidiaries located here, can’t be excluded. But we also have to be realistic and in a global economy, some products are only available from these suppliers.
When buying from suppliers outside of Canada however, only European Union companies must be included, and only for contracts above $229,600 for goods and services or $8.8 million for construction. This allows the City to exclude US bids, and for international contracts below those amounts, staff can prioritize Canadian products.
So we are doing everything we can within these realities.
Supporting Canadian businesses
Supporting Canadian businesses isn’t just about where the City spends its money. It’s also about creating the conditions for Burnaby’s businesses to succeed, encouraging them to buy Canadian too, and helping keep their costs down so residents can afford to buy Canadian products as well.
That’s why our work extends beyond procurement. Through our new task force on Burnaby Economic Growth and Resilience, we are bringing voices together from different sectors, allowing us to learn from one another, hear directly from businesses, and stay open-minded about solutions. We don’t pretend to have all the answers. But we are committed to listening and improving.
We have also been looking inward at how City Hall operates. We know that red tape, unclear processes, and slow approvals have real consequences, especially for small businesses. A one-month delay can be the difference between success and failure.
We are working hard to continually make our processes faster, be more transparent, and ensure businesses know exactly what’s required, with clear checklists and fewer roadblocks.
Working together in a shared direction
Municipalities can’t do this work alone. We need faster action at the provincial and federal levels, particularly when it comes to removing interprovincial trade barriers. Progress has been slower than many hoped, and in a moment like this, speed matters. If we want to make the changes we need, we have to move quicker.
The federal government’s new Buy Canadian Policy, which began rolling out in December, is a positive and timely step. While it applies directly to federal procurement, it reinforces a shared direction and may influence supplier availability and pricing more broadly across the country. Burnaby is also continuing to work closely with the BC municipal purchasing group to share insights and explore opportunities for coordinated action.
As this policy is gradually rolled out, with more programs expected through 2026, our staff are keeping a close eye on developments and considering what they might mean for the City’s purchasing decisions.
While it’s not realistic to be 100% Canadian in a global economy, and no single city can solve cost-of-living pressures or global trade instability on its own, that doesn’t mean we can do nothing.
What we can do is focus on what we can control—buying Canadian. That’s how Burnaby continues to stand up for its residents, its businesses, and its values.
Community policing and public safety in Burnaby—with Chief Superintendent Bill Parmar
