Vancouver City Councillor Lucy Maloney is urgently pushing for a special council meeting to address the growing concerns over new U.S. tariffs that could impact local workers, residents, and businesses.
Maloney, along with OneCity, has expressed frustration after not receiving a response from Mayor Ken Sim following their formal request for a meeting sent on Monday.
In the letter, Maloney set a deadline for council members to reply by the end of the day on Wednesday, September 3. However, as of Friday afternoon, there had been no response from Mayor Sim, his office, or any other Vancouver city councillors.
The move to convene a meeting comes in the wake of a troubling report from Statistics Canada, which revealed a loss of 42,000 jobs in the country in August, reversing months of positive employment trends.
Maloney pointed out that these figures only capture part of the impact of the recent 50% tariffs imposed on around $28 billion worth of Canadian goods that took effect in August.
Highlighting Vancouver’s pivotal role as British Columbia’s economic hub, Maloney emphasized the importance of taking proactive steps to support the city’s workforce and businesses in the face of these challenges.
The proposed motion aims to task city officials with exploring additional strategies to aid affected businesses and workers, collaborate with higher levels of government in responding to the tariffs, and engage directly with those impacted to provide the most effective assistance.
These recommendations will be presented to the incoming mayor and council post the municipal elections scheduled for October 17.
Maloney stressed that British Columbia faces significant tariff risks compared to other provinces, underscoring the urgent need for immediate action to assist Vancouver’s workforce and businesses impacted by the tariffs.
“This is not a matter of politics. It’s about ensuring that those affected by these tariffs know that their city is actively working to support them during these challenging times,” Maloney stated.
