Councillor Rob Foster (Lincoln) put forward a motion that was approved by Niagara Regional Council last week to restrict the travel of Niagara Region staff and Councillors to the United States, except for government relations purposes.
The motion instead instructs staff and Council members to focus on prioritizing engagements within Canada to foster more domestic collaboration and knowledge-sharing. This includes professional development and training opportunities.
Speaking to Regional Council, Foster noted that reporting shows that low-income residents of Niagara will be hit hardest by the tariff agenda of U.S. President Donald Trump, and argued that it is incumbent on Council to support residents by adopting policies that get tough on the administration.
“We as councillors in the Region need to acknowledge what I refer to as the economic tsunami that’s coming at us,” said Foster.
Foster argued that restricting travel to the United States was in line with the Region’s response to tariffs imposed by the Trump administration earlier this year, when procurement and other economic opportunities were channeled toward Canadian companies rather than allowing for American companies to bid.
The motion put restrictions on travel for the remainder of 2025.
Importantly, Foster noted that advocacy and government relations was exempt to allow local officials to try to advocate for an end to the trade conflict and advance economic opportunities for local businesses on trips to the United States.
Another exemption was inserted to allow for staff or Councillors to attend training or professional development opportunities that are only available in the United States.
Senior staff, including CAO Ron Tripp, will be responsible for handing out exemptions to the new policy.
Councillor Haley Bateman spoke to thank Foster for the motion, noting that Trump’s policies are extremely costly, and called out Trump’s rhetoric as dangerous.
“I wholeheartedly support this motion,” said Bateman.
Councillor Mat Siscoe said that he appreciated the motion and noted that a similar motion has already been adopted in St. Catharines. Siscoe furthermore thanked Foster for including a travel exemption for advocacy efforts, noting “many of us have found gains from advocacy efforts going over the border.”
Siscoe also noted that much of his travel to the U.S. has been constructive, and he’s found that mayors on the U.S. side of the border are overwhelmingly against Trump’s blanket 25 per cent tariff agenda.
Foster’s motion passed overwhelmingly after minimal debate.
Jay Goldberg is the Ontario Director at the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. He previously served as a policy fellow at the Munk School of Public Policy and Global Affairs. Jay holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Toronto.
