The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday edition that the City of Toronto is barring its employees from using the services of American rideshare companies such as Uber and Lyft. The Globe's Vanmala Subramaniam writes that the move is part of Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow's economic action plan in response to U.S. tariffs -- a series of measures designed to encourage Torontonians and city staff to shop local and buy Canadian-made goods. In a motion adopted by Toronto's city council on Wednesday, the city advised employees to stop using "U.S.-based ridesharing platforms, where locally owned alternatives exist." The directive also placed restrictions on new Tesla vehicles participating in the city's zero-emissions grants program for vehicles-for-hire, a program that provides financial support to rideshare drivers who use electric cars. City staff are also being asked to refrain from using delivery giant Amazon for official business. Ms. Chow said last week that the city will prioritize Canadian suppliers for procurement and bar some U.S. companies from bidding on contracts. Canadian rideshare company Hovr and domestic taxi companies had been campaigning for weeks for the city to ban the use of Uber and Lyft by city employees.
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