Team Dufferin – Tariff Response and Business Resources
In response to escalating economic uncertainty and the ripple effects of global tariffs, the County of Dufferin launched the Team Dufferin – Tariff Response and Business Resources Initiative. This multifaceted recovery strategy was designed to educate and support local businesses, advocate for a competitive investment environment, promote local purchasing, and enhance economic data collection to guide decision-making.
The anchoring component of the initiative is the Team Dufferin Seminar Series, a five-part series focused on helping businesses and municipalities navigate today’s global trade environment by facilitating informative seminars and discussions. The Seminar Series connected broader conversations around tariffs to Dufferin’s rural context, ensuring that the County’s ongoing and earmarked economic developments initiatives remain relevant and impactful in the short and long-term.
- Seminar 1 (March): Explored the US-Canada trade war and key considerations for Dufferin’s rural economy.
- Seminar 2 (May): Focused on the effects of tariffs on agri-food and manufacturing sectors in Dufferin.
- Seminar 3 (July): Present findings from the County’s Primary Data Collection project. A vital component of the initiative designed to fill data gaps by gathering localized, sector-specific intelligence to support business retention, investment planning, and policy development.
- Seminar 4 (September): Supporting investment attraction and business retention through strategic planning and development.
- Seminar 5 (November): Looking ahead to future growth, launching a new investor portal and investment attraction tools.
Beyond the seminar series, the initiative includes a “Buy Canadian, Buy Local” campaign, the Made in Dufferin branding initiative to spotlight local producers, a series of trade-focused e-newsletters, and advocacy to higher levels of government to address interprovincial trade barriers.
The uncertainty of the tariffs presented an initial challenge in determining the scope of County’s response and business support initiatives. The direction the County took was to align the content and direction of Seminar Series with existing and earmarked initiatives, facilitating important discussions about how to reposition these initiatives to support businesses or industries that may be most impact by the tariffs.
The initiative has already seen early success: Seminar 1 attracted over 70 participants, over 50 participants in the second seminar, and the primary data findings are actively being used to inform County-level economic development efforts. Together, these components form a cohesive, proactive response to trade-related challenges and position Dufferin County for long-term resilience, collaboration, and growth.
