Qoutes are directly from the article.

What happened:

"City staff approved spending hundreds of thousands on American-made outdoor furniture as part of the $15.4 million outdoor ice rink downtown days after being asked to prioritize Canadian-made goods during an ongoing trade war.

The furniture will cost taxpayers up to $285,957.21 for 28 seasonal outdoor metal tables, 18 table-mounted metal umbrellas and 10 garbage receptacles.

That’s before taxes, according to a city document."

To be faaaair:

"It’s not clear if the city considered any Canadian companies as part of the selecting process for the outdoor furniture.

Project administrator Graziano Nazzani wrote in a report that these companies were selected because the items would match what’s in other parks, will be familiar to staff who maintain the furniture and because the city already has replacement parts on hand."

My opinion: Very much against the sentiment of the times, and a bit of a slap in the face for a city proud of its manufacturing capabilities. I think keeping it domestic, or even local, would have been the better move, especially considering how expensive the American made items were anyways!