K.C. Jordan, LJI Journalist
The Municipality of Mansfield and Pontefract passed a motion at its Mar. 5 meeting to formalize a new policy for supporting local businesses first.
According to Mansfield director general Éric Rochon, the policy, which is not yet finalized, will allow the municipal staff to spend more on locally-sourced goods and services than they would on getting a cheaper product elsewhere.
Councillor Sébastien Denault, who presented the idea to council, said he has been urging the municipality to implement something like this policy for a few years now, and feels now is the right moment.
“Now that everything that’s going on in the country, in the province of Quebec, it’s sure that we’re going to support our own people as much as possible,” he said.
Denault said the municipality traditionally offers merchandise from the municipal office as prizes at community events, but will now pivot to offer gift cards from local gas stations and to the ZEC St-Patrice.
Rochon wrote in an email that this policy more or less formalizes a practice the municipality has been doing for some time, supporting local businesses by filling up at local gas stations, having municipal vehicles serviced at local garages, or buying local products.
“The policy will reflect the need to buy locally to keep our local economy and jobs,” he wrote, adding that the total increase in costs should not exceed more than 10 per cent.
He said the municipality seldomly purchases from the United States, but that the policy will determine the limits that the municipality can spend to keep purchases local.
“I would say that our needs are met 99 per cent in the Canadian market,” he said, adding that the last big purchase the municipality made from the U.S. was a fire truck, but that too can be bought in Canada.
Mansfield mayor Sandra Armstrong said it’s a small gesture the municipality can make to show its citizens that it supports businesses in town, and to encourage others to do the same.
“We are proud people from Quebec, and I think we need to watch out for our home,” she said. “We need to stand together, and I hope this is a little gift that we’re doing that can help other people to realize that.”