With the push to “Buy B.C.” in response to the looming trade war with the United States, a Canadian company is urging Vancouver to back out of an existing contract with an American firm.
Bird Canada’s CEO has written a letter to the City of Vancouver asking it reconsider an agreement reached last summer with U.S.-based scooter share service Lime.
Bird was a runner-up in the bid for the contract and Vancouver Coun. Pete Fry says the company is asking the city to reconsider that decision, given the push from municipalities to support B.C. and Canadian businesses.
“His concern was that we had awarded the contract to a scooter competitor called Lime, which is an American-based company. He was, I think, hoping we would reconsider our procurement and contract with Lime to favour a Canadian company,” Fry said.
That is exactly what Bird is pushing for, according to CEO Stewart Lyons.
“Given we are Canadian, I think Vancouver City Council should put their money where their mouth is and support Canadian businesses, just like they are being asked to do all across the country,” Lyons told 1130 NewsRadio.
Lyons says Bird is a global micro-mobility company but is Canadian-owned and operated, providing services in Surrey, Vernon, Cranbrook and locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Ontario.
“It will be a little challenging for Vancouver because they have already entered a contract with the other provider but usually these contracts give the city an out because municipalities like to have flexibility. I obviously haven’t seen the Vancouver one … but if they have an out, they should consider using it to look at Canadian options.”
Fry says a recent motion has directed city staff to report back on opportunities that favour Canadian over American procurement but the contract with Lime was awarded before any hint of a trade war with the U.S.
“Obviously this was negotiated prior to Trump’s election and I don’t think anybody anticipated the impacts of what a Trump agenda might look like,” he said. “I think Lime won out on a technical consideration and I think they’ve also invested, at this point, significantly in their infrastructure to deliver their services in Vancouver so we may be too far down that path to reconsider.”
Fry says the coming staff report will likely include a look at the Lime contract, as well as other larger procurement files with American companies such as Microsoft, but he suggests they are not looking at tearing up existing agreements.
“A lot of this stuff is contract-based and we still exist under the rule of law, regardless of how Trump treats the rule of law.”
BCAA, the British Columbia Automobile Association, is also urging municipalities to consider using local micro-mobility solutions.
Leanne Buhler is head of the company’s Evolve e-Bike and e-Scooter Share.
“Right now, more than ever, it’s important to support our local businesses and associations. For us, it’s about bringing awareness to having local operators available in this industry,” Buhler told 1130 NewsRadio.
Evolve currently has operations in Whistler, Nanaimo, Courtenay, Comox, and Burnaby, along with cargo-bike sharing in North Vancouver.
“These are all communities that have chosen a local provider, which we are excited about. Those partnerships have been very fruitful. All of the money and all the revenue that Evolve generates goes back into B.C. communities,” she explained.
Unlike Bird Canada, Buhler says they have not directly approached any municipalities about potentially switching from already existing U.S.-based services.
“Our focus right now is really about talking about the benefits of buying local and advocating for products and services here in B.C. We really understand that every municipality has to make the best decision for their communities,” Buhler said. “But we know that supporting local companies like Evolve keeps the investment in our communities.”
Meanwhile, Fry admits weighing the costs and benefits of the “Team Canada” approach to procurement can be complicated — sometimes there is no viable alternative to U.S. companies and services.
“It’s a complex piece because obviously we do have a contract with Lime and it was an open and fair procurement process. Where I’d expressed a preference of a Canadian company like Bird, Lime was recommended based on technical performance and investment in new infrastructure to support their offering,” he explained.
“And of course, all of this happened before Trump was elected president. It’s unfortunate that things have become so toxic, but that’s where we are at now.”
source & photo: CityNews
