As the leaders of a border city, we know how important cross-border trade is for our economy, community and local businesses.
During last year’s Manufacturing Bus Tour and this year’s Business Spotlight series, many prominent Abbotsford business leaders expressed to us the value of having access to the American market. Columbia Cabinets and Longboard Architectural Products, for example, send more than 70 per cent of their exports to the United States. However, those businesses, and our community as a whole, are now contending with the uncertainty caused by American tariffs.
Many retailers are now adjusting their supply chains due to tariffs and consumer backlash, the construction industry is facing a slowdown due to economic uncertainty, and there is less cross-border traffic as Canadians avoid travelling to the US for business or leisure.
These are challenges felt not only by us at the city level, but by municipalities, provinces and states across Canada and the US. On June 10, Mayor Siemens had the opportunity to raise some of these issues and advocate for our community and businesses at a BC-Colorado roundtable on trade co-hosted by Colorado Governor Jared Polis and BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey in Vancouver.
The goal of the meeting was to bring together leaders from Colorado and BC to discuss trade policy at the national level while exploring opportunities for cross-border collaboration at the provincial and state level.
The BC contingent included Mayors Marianne Alto and Brenda Locke of Victoria and Surrey, respectively, as well as leadership from the Union of BC Municipalities and the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. The Colorado delegation included the heads of that state’s Office of Economic Development and International Trade, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Local Affairs.
Discussion topics included the effects of tariffs and supply chain disruptions on key regional industries, adjustments municipalities have made to mitigate economic disruptions, successful existing partnerships and initiatives between Canadian and US local governments, and emerging sectors that could benefit from stronger BC-Colorado cooperation.
Mass timber construction, agriculture innovation and aerospace opportunities were identified as areas of potential collaboration and growth between BC and Colorado that are particularly relevant to us in Abbotsford.
The mayors shared firsthand experiences on how trade policy changes have impacted their economies and business communities. The group then worked to identify practical collaboration strategies among subnational governments and proposed ways to communicate their shared priorities to federal policymakers.
Whether it’s talking to our partners in Washington State about flood mitigation, or discussing trade with Colorado, connecting and engaging with our American colleagues on these issues strengthens our bilateral relationships and can lead to further opportunities for cooperation and shared prosperity.
Abbotsford City Council