Today’s imposition of 25-per-cent U.S. tariffs and retaliatory actions by Canada will affect both nations, but Mayor Paul Lefebvre said there won’t be any significant municipal impacts.
At least, not for the time being.
In the midst of U.S. President Donald Trump’s continuously changing tariff timelines, it’s unclear whether they’ll remain in place long enough to affect municipal projects.
When it comes to the city’s day-to-day operations, Lefebvre said that very little of what the city pays for comes from the United States. Approximately $1.8-million in software was the only thing that immediately came to mind.
Specialized equipment and materials sourced from the United States are minimal, though Lefebvre said the city is keeping “a close eye on it.”
When it comes to major projects like the downtown event centre, he said, “we’re not even close to building anything right now.”
Foundation work will begin next year, which Lefebvre described as “cement and rebar for a foundation; that’s Canadian, and after that it’s 2027 before we even look at anything potentially not sourced in Canada … but we’ll be looking at all countries, not just the States.”
As evidenced by Trump’s public statements in recent weeks, he said people can expect a continuous recurrence of trade threats for the next few years.
“It’ll be tough for businesses, because businesses need certainty,” he said, describing this as “the biggest risk.”
“We’re focused on creating a community where these investments are welcomed and there’s a good return on investment for those folks taking the risks,” he said.
“Certainly, when we look at the overall health and well-being of our whole city, there are major concerns.”
Lefebvre pledged to continue working with various organizations, such as the Ontario BIg City Mayors and Federation of Canadian Municipalities, to advocate on “an hourly basis” to help mitigate local impacts.
In addition to meeting with staff to clarify what impacts tariffs might bring, Lefebvre said he recently also met with the Greater Sudbury Chamber of Commerce and Sudbury Liberal MP Viviane Lapointe.
“The supports, if required, need to come from the province and the federal government, and our job is to advocate for that and see how we can work together to address that,” Lefebvre said.
In the event trickle-down tariff impacts end up affecting city budgets, Lefebvre said the city would adjust their work plans to accommodate for the cost difference.
“That just means there will be less projects happening,” he said, clarifying that staff have indicated thus far that they don’t foresee anything changing.
Last month, Lefebvre tabled a successful motion to push senior levels of government to grant municipalities greater leeway on making purchases of non-U.S. goods and services.
This came in response to trade arrangements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union, which can prohibit nation-first purchasing practices and those which freeze out the United States.
“Even though we have a partner who is not respecting our international trade agreements, or is proposing not to respect them, we still feel we need to respect them,” Lefebvre said at the time.
That clarified, the mayor added that if the United States is going their own way, “we’ve got to make sure we’re covering ourselves.”
Buying American is unavoidable with certain things, such as specialized electronics and HVAC materials which only come from the United States, meaning any impact from retaliatory Canadian tariffs would have to be absorbed due to a lack of Canadian options.
Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc tabled an unsuccessful motion last month which would have paused work on the downtown event centre.
Leduc’s concern was that tariffs would increase costs.
In times of economic uncertainty, governments want projects to go ahead, city Growth and Infrastructure general manager Tony Cecutti countered, suggesting there may be some funding opportunities on the horizon in the event U.S. tariffs proceed.
“The large projects are in the design phase and there will be opportunities to adjust the design if possible and if the situation warrants,” Lefebvre said at the time, while speaking about both the events centre and the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square library/art gallery/municipal relocation project. “These projects are also following a construction management model which offer the benefit of working with the contractor during the design phase to optimize efficiencies in layout and material choices.”
In early February, prior to the since-delayed threat of U.S. tariffs, Sudbury District Home Builders Association president Derek Cashmore told Sudbury.com that tariffs are likely to stymie local growth while builders wait out uncertainty.
Meanwhile, a delegation of Greater Sudbury-area politicians and business leaders has planned a tour of Korea and Japan from April 7-11 to strengthen economic partnerships. Lefebvre is heading the delegation, which he announced during this week’s 2025 Prospectors and Developers Association of Canada convention in Toronto.
Although Lefebvre clarified that the delegation has been in the works for the past several months in advance of the U.S. tariff threat, he said it has become even more timely in recent weeks and would help diversify trade partners.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
