Mayor of Windsor, Ont., Drew Dilkens has invited Osoyoos and communities across Canada to join a new alliance to coordinate protection of their people and businesses in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump's threatened tariffs.
Osoyoos Mayor Sue McKortoff shared the invitation with town council on Jan. 28, and informed them of her plans to attend some of the upcoming meetings to get more information about how the alliance will function.
"I would like to attend to find out how we can be more aware," McKortoff said. "We have so many businesses that use Highway 97, our north-south highway, on a daily basis."
McKortoff said that she wasn't willing to commit to joining the alliance, as she expressed concerns that Osoyoos is a small town with a crossing compared to many larger cities.
On Jan. 30, the Mayor of Surrey, Brenda Locke, announced that she and the city would be joining the alliance as the city faces particular risk as the only one in Western Canada with two land border crossings into the U.S.
"Through the Border Mayors Alliance, we will represent our communities from coast to coast, particularly those poised to suffer immensely from these tariffs, and we will work to protect our economic and developmental interests," reads a portion of Dilkens' letter. "The Alliance has already begun identifying alternative supply chains to mitigate immediate disruptions and we are working together to develop contingency strategies."
The latest information from the U.S. has Trump's tariffs expected to go into effect on Saturday, Feb. 1, although Trump has repeatedly changed his mind on policies and either walked them back or put them off.
