Producers welcome the buy local campaign, but say work is needed to sustain it

Tariff is the big buzzword right now causing Canadians stress and uncertainty.

Newfoundland and Labrador wants people to buy local in the face of U.S. tariff threats, and local producers say they're happy to get a boost in business, but also there needs to be more commitment from consumers and the government if local businesses are going to fulfil the demand.

Crafter and owner of craft store Some Good Market in Clarke's Beach, N.L., Laurie Legrow, says there are different levels of buying local. Sometimes buying local can be complex, as people have to think about the different levels of production, she said.

"We just need to really think critically about where we're getting the things from and what are the things that we can replace," said Legrow.

For example, Legrow said, someone could buy an item made by her, but the wool is from New Brunswick. There are some items that cannot be replaced locally, she said.

"Our trading partners globally have been our trading partners for decades, if not longer, and it's all very intertwined," said Legrow.

She says supporting local businesses, crafters and farmers, through word of mouth or social media can help with the provincial government's new campaign.

Reducing the red tape

Legrow says she appreciates the boost in visibility from the province, but would also like to see a reduction in some of the red tape business owners need to navigate to produce items locally.

"There's lots of land available in this province. There's lots of people willing to farm and wanting to farm. We don't want to bring in our carrots from 1,000 miles away," she said.

"We need people to help us do that and not waste our time with unnecessary paperwork."

Phil Thornley, owner of Campbellton Berry Farm in Notre Dame Bay, says there needs to be more support for farmers. 

"We're one per cent of the population, and most of us have got grey hair. We've got to put something in place to encourage young people," said Thornley. "Food is so important that it should be a well-paying full-time job." 

Changing buying decisions

Richard Butt is a program coordinator for the Western N.L. Food Hub, operated by Food First N.L.

He says buying local has to be a conscious decision made by consumers.

"We're so integrated in the global food market and the global spending market that everything is so convenient and so at our fingertips all the time that we forget about our neighbour down the road," said Butt. 

To use the food hub, customers can make an order online and pick it up. However, Butt said, getting people used to changing up their weekly shopping routine hasn't been easy. 

He said it's not like your typical grocery store, but it's convenient once you get used to it. 

"We get so many people coming up to us and telling us that they love what we're doing, but they're not regular customers," said Butt. "To actually commit to placing the order each week and picking it up at the food hub doesn't always pan out."

He said despite maybe 10 to 20 people signing up to use the hub, only one or two may actually place orders. 

Butt says he's happy people are being encouraged to buy local right now and he has seen a bump in the number of people signing up to use the hub.

But, for local services to stay open, he says people have to stay committed to buying local year-round. 

"It takes buying 52 weeks a year to kind of have our producers in a position where they're always ready to deal with any global challenges that go on with food production," said Butt. 

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