Buying Local May Contravene the AIT

An article in the Winnipeg Free Press about a large local government ad account (Travel Manitoba) going to an out-of-province ad agency recently got my attention.

Although noone likes to see good revenue leave their local area, Manitoba is a participant in the Agreement on Internal Trade and had they demanded the work be performed locally they may have been in contravention of that agreement.

But agreements aside - this is one more piece of tangible evidence that the selection of professional services vendors is not a local endeavour. In my opinion, for a professional services firm in a smaller market like Manitoba this represents a greater opportunity than it does a threat.