Vancouver councillor seeks emergency meeting on escalating U.S. tariffs

Vancouver Coun. Lucy Maloney is calling for an emergency special council meeting to consider measures to protect local workers, residents and businesses from escalating U.S. tariffs. Maloney and OneCity say a letter sent to Mayor Ken Sim on Monday requesting the meeting had not received a response.

Maloney asked councillors to respond by the end of Wednesday, Sept. 3. As of Friday afternoon, she said neither Sim, his office nor any ABC Vancouver councillors had replied.

The renewed request follows Statistics Canada’s report that Canada lost 42,000 jobs in August after several months of employment gains. Maloney said the data only partly reflected the impact of new 50 per cent tariffs on about $28 billion in Canadian goods that took effect in August.

Maloney said Vancouver, British Columbia’s largest economic centre, has the province’s largest port, research institutions and a highly skilled workforce. She said council has tools available now to help cushion the impact on Vancouver residents.

Her proposed motion would direct city staff to identify additional support for affected businesses and workers, determine how Vancouver could assist federal, provincial and regional governments responding to the tariffs, and consult affected workers and businesses on the most effective support. Findings would be presented to the incoming mayor and council after the Oct. 17 municipal election.

Maloney said British Columbia faces the greatest tariff exposure of any province and that workers and businesses cannot wait until after the election for City Hall to act. She said the issue is about ensuring people who lose jobs or contracts because of the tariffs know the city is doing all it can to help.