The Buzz · Kitchener-Waterloo Civic Wire

Remember those tariffs? Your economy just laughed them off.

Good morning from the Region — three cities, one wire, zero time for small talk. Let's go.

### This tariff story is just the thing about our economy

You know how everyone was ringing the alarm bells about tariffs crushing the economy? Well, here’s the thing about this Region – we were told to brace ourselves, especially in our manufacturing sector that runs through places like the old warehouse districts in Kitchener, near Victoria Park, and even out by the Grand River in Cambridge. The Ford government even said we'd be lucky to hit one percent growth because of potential U.S. tariffs. It sounded pretty bleak, frankly.

But now, our provincial finance minister is saying, "Surprise! It didn't materialize." Our economy actually did better than expected. It’s wild, isn't it? It feels like we're constantly on this economic rollercoaster, especially with all the tech ups and downs we see in the Tannery District and out in Uptown Waterloo. It's almost like the global economy decided to give us a bit of a pass this time.

* **Manufacturing Resilience:** Despite all the talk, the factories, from Kitchener's industrial parks to Cambridge, seem to have held their own. * **Tech Sector's Role:** Our tech companies, many of them born right here out of the University of Waterloo, probably helped cushion the blow more than we realize. * **Regional Impact:** For residents, this means the job market might not be as tight as predicted, which is a small comfort, especially with housing costs still being what they are around here.

It's a strange relief, like finding that your property taxes aren't going up *as much* as you feared. This Region, with its mix of old industry and new tech, is always a bit of a paradox, and this just proves it noch einmal.

The crew on the Morning Wire dives into stories like this every day – catch them live at mornings.live.

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