By Mark Squibb
A motion before Mount Pearl council earlier this month to purchase a new garbage truck led to a discussion of the tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
The City received five bids, and staff recommended council purchase the rear load garbage collection truck from the lowest qualified bidder, Reefer Repair Services, in the amount of $453,703, HST included.
Mayor Dave Aker asked when the truck would be delivered and whether it was manufactured in the U.S., or Canada.
Public Works Director Glen Dollimount said he didn’t expect the truck for at least another 12 to 18 months, and that while the truck body was built in the States, the garbage component was built in Quebec.
The Mayor then asked whether the City was in a position to exclude American products during the bid process.
CAO Cassie Rideout said the City is not in a position to exclude American products from the procurement process, although a review is ongoing in light of the potential of tariffs being levied on goods from south of the border. She added this particular contract will be protected from potential tariffs.
Dollimount said that though he couldn’t be sure, he suspected the truck body had already been built and shipped to Canada.
Prior to calling the motion, councillor Mark Rice said that tariffs, along with post-COVID inflation, would serve to compound price increases further.
“We’re concerned around the table here,” said Rice. “This has a big impact on our budget. Our tax base is not increasing that much, and it’s really concerning to all of us around the table because we got hit with the COVID pricing, and that never ever went down, and now we’re talking tariffs.”
The motion to approve the purchase, and Aker’s subsequent concerns, came the day before Trump slapped Canada and numerous other countries with a laundry list of tariffs.
As to the motion itself, council unanimously approved the purchase.
