Local BIAs across the city are encouraging Ottawa residents to buy local in the face of the current economic uncertainty.
SabriNa Lemay, executive director of Centretown BIA, is launching a pilot project in partnership with other downtown BIAs and districts to encourage shopping local and to “re-invest in the community.” Partners include Glebe BIA, Downtown BIA, Chinatown BIA, the ByWard Market District Authority and Somerset BIA.
“Our brand ambassador is going to walk around within each neighbourhood and ask people who are shopping locally (what their) favourite local business in Ottawa (is) and, with their answer, they’ll be given a gift card to one of our local businesses to shop,” said Lemay.
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“So we’re putting money back into the economy, to the ones that are struggling. For all participants within the different areas, each BIA is also contributing $100 gift cards from various businesses within their area (for a) grand prize,” Lemay added.
Lemay said videos will come out when the campaign launches and last as many weeks as there are participating BIAs. “If we have seven BIAs, it will run for seven weeks. If it seems to be a popular series and it’s really helping our community, we’ll definitely be continuing it,” she said.
While the campaign will focus on shopping local, Lemay said “decisions made in the U.S. impact everyone.”
“We don’t want to say that people who are selling U.S. products (aren’t included.) Say at a record store, they’re selling U.S. music. We don’t believe that those artists should suffer because of what one person has declared. We’re still saying we’re supporting all of the businesses in the downtown core, no matter what. We definitely don’t want to make it a separatism thing, because we have enough of that,” Lemay said.
The Centretown BIA sent out a survey to businesses to find out what needed to be done to support them during this time, she said.
“We want to make sure that we can act fast and what is the best means of support for our members,” Lemay said. “They recognize the challenges that are going to come along with financial challenges and some of the changes that they’ll each have to make.”
The Wellington West BIA recently launched its own awareness campaign called “Wellington West — Your Shop Canadian Neighbourhood.” It will feature street banners, window posters and signs at entry points into the neighbourhood.
“Small businesses are the heartbeat of our neighbourhood and with tariffs from the U.S. now in effect, it’s more important than ever to rally behind them,” said Aron Slipacoff, executive director of the Wellington West BIA in a news release. “This campaign isn’t just about shopping — it’s about investing in our community, our people, and our Canadian identity.
“We’re asking Ottawa/Gatineau residents to think twice about going to American stores at American-owned malls, to reconsider their next Amazon purchase, and instead visit a Canadian store in Wellington West,” Slipacoff added.
For Darrell Cox, chairperson of the Ottawa Coalition of Business Improvement Areas (OCOBIA), if there is one silver lining to a trade war with the U.S., it’s that people are choosing to shop at local businesses instead of the convenience of Amazon.
“That was a real challenge that a lot of small businesses had been having, is trying to compete with online shopping. Seeing people are making a concerted effort to buy local and not using those American online platforms is … bringing Canadians together,” Cox said.
Like Lemay, Cox emphasized the importance of supporting all local businesses, pointing to Knyota Drinks, a non-alcoholic beverage store on Bank Street that has been unable to sell the U.S. products it has already purchased as a result of the “buy Canadian” sentiment.
“But we’re finding that a lot of businesses are able to adapt and are able to find Canadian-made products. If you go into some of the grocery stores, it’s great the effort they’ve made to put a maple leaf beside all the Canadian products,” Cox said.
Cox is a member of the Mayor’s Economic Council alongside other local stakeholders and institutions.
“The main purpose (of the council) is to bring some of the key economic development organizations and business associations around the table to discuss how the community can come together to respond to the threat of U.S. tariffs and, most importantly, share resources,” he said.
The city has also launched an eight-week campaign around shopping local and buying Canadian. Promotional materials, such as window stickers, will be distributed throughout the city through BIAs.
