Tariff Response and Resources
Resources for residents and businesses to help understand and navigate the U.S. trade tariffs on Canadian exports.
On this page:
- Canada-US tariff and trade status
- Our action plan
- Resources for businesses and workers
- Resources for residents
Canada-US tariff and trade status
On August 22, 2026, the United States (U.S.) increased tariffs to 50% on many Canadian goods entering the U.S., following the 25% tariffs introduced in March 2025. Canada responded with counter-tariffs on more than 700 U.S. products that took effect on September 8, 2026. Additional proposed U.S. counter-tariffs have been announced, including import restrictions on, but not limited to, Canadian dairy, alcohol, and motor vehicle products on September 29, 2026, and a 50% tariff including, but not limited to, Canadian automobiles, auto parts, and steel effective January 1, 2027.
Tariff and trade supports:
- Department of Finance Canada – Tariff Product List
- Government of Canada – Canada Strong
- Ontario Chamber of Commerce – Navigating Tariffs
- Province of Ontario Newsroom – Provincial News
- Toronto Region Board of Trade – Navigating Tariffs
Not seeing what you're looking for? The Government of Canada has created a search tool for funding opportunities and supports. See the Business Benefits Finder and Find Tariff Business Supports tools for more information.
Statement from the Mayor:
Our action plan
The City of Kitchener has announced our action plan to continue supporting local businesses, protect jobs and help the community respond to ongoing tariff and trade uncertainty.
Kitchener's Action Plan to Support Local and Protect Jobs includes five key areas of action:
1. Put City spending to work for local businesses
2. Make it easier to choose local
3. Help businesses adapt, diversity, and grow
4. Turn local evidence into advocacy and action
5. Open new market and attract investments
Recognizing Kitchener’s strong manufacturing base and its connections to continental supply chains and export markets, the initiative aims to strengthen economic resilience and support local businesses during a period of economic uncertainty.
Background
Following a council resolution on February 10, 2025, we activated a tariff response to minimize the impact tariffs have on our community and identify measures to support the local economy. On March 17, 2025, we announced our action plan to address the impacts of the tariffs, which includes five key actions:
- Amend Kitchener’s procurement bylaw to support Buy Canadian, Buy Local
- Initiate conversations with distributors and contractors on Canadian alternatives for supply
- Prioritize Canada First supply purchases for smaller dollar items
- Strategic outreach with trade-exposed companies and develop new resources on import substitution for local businesses
- Launch a Support Local campaign in partnership with local business improvement areas (BIAs), Chamber of Commerce and the Kitchener Market
See the meeting agenda or recording of the March 17, 2025 Special Council meeting for more details on our action plan.
See the meeting agenda or recording of the February 10, 2025 Special Council meeting for more details on the initial council resolution.
In response to the breakdown of Canada-U.S. trade negotiations and the imposition of new U.S. tariffs on August 22, 2026, Mayor Berry Vrbanovic announced the reactivation of the City of Kitchener’s Tariff and Trade Task Force.
The task force will build on work first undertaken in 2025 to support local businesses and protect jobs by strengthening local and Canadian procurement, identifying supports for affected businesses and workers, helping companies diversify into new markets, and advocating for assistance from other orders of government.
The action plan announced on September 28, 2026, builds on the work of Kitchener’s Tariff and Trade Task Force and the City's previous Action Plan.
Key facts
- Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo (KCW) is ranked as the fourth most vulnerable Canadian region to the proposed U.S. tariffs, according to a recent study on exports by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce.
- $17.8 billion or 46.5 per cent of KCW gross domestic product (GDP) is generated from exports to the U.S.
- KCW's top 30 highest-ranking export industries account for 81,500 jobs.
- Approximately 50 per cent of Canada-U.S. trade moves through the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region, which amounts to an $8 trillion economy, larger than most economies in the world.
Resources for businesses and workers
Support for your business
The City of Kitchener is here to help businesses small and large to provide support, connect you with resources and advocate for responsive programs in our community.
You can connect with us to schedule a business consultation by email.
Other organizations have also announced supports for businesses and workers to help navigate the tariffs:
Federal government worker and employer supports:
- Farm Credit Canada: $1 billion to support the agricultural sector
- Government of Canada: process for requesting remission of tariffs that apply on certain goods from the U.S.
- Regional Tariff Response Initiative in Southern Ontario
- Support for workers and employers impacted by tariffs
- Work-Sharing Program
Provincial government worker and employer supports:
- News: Ontario expanding protections for tariff-impacted workers
- Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit
- Ontario Together Trade Fund
- Protect Ontario Financing Program
Other supports:
- Business Development Bank of Canada: $500 million low-interest rate loan program to assist businesses directly impacted by tariffs
- Export Development Canada: $5 billion over 2 years for exporters to find new markets outside the U.S.
Resources
These organizations have resources available to support your business:
- Business Development Bank Canada
- Canada trade tariffs, sanctions, export and import controls
- Communitech
- Export Development Canada
- Federation of Canadian Municipalities
- Government of Canada International Trade and Finance Policy
- Waterloo EDC
- Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Industry associations
These associations may represent your business and will be helpful for evolving advocacy and impacts to your industry:
- Automotive Industries Association of Canada
- Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA)
- Canadian Federation of Independent Business
- Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters
- Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers' Association
- Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium
- Food and Beverage Ontario
- Ontario Federation of Agriculture
- Ontario Restaurant Hotel & Motel Association (ORHMA)
- Restaurants Canada
- Tourism Industry Association of Ontario
- Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing’s Manufacturing Ecosystem Map
Resources for residents
These resources can help you discover and explore local, Ontario-based or Canadian businesses:
Local resources
Land acknowledgement
The City of Kitchener is situated on the traditional territory of the Chonnonton, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. We recognize our responsibility to act as stewards for the land and honour the original caretakers who came before us. Our community is enriched by the enduring knowledge and deep-rooted traditions of the diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples who live in Kitchener today.