Ontario collected $260K from its 1-day electricity surcharge on U.S. exports

Allison Jones · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Apr 11, 2025 3:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

Ontario collected astir $260,000 from the 1 time an energy surcharge was successful effect connected exports to the United States, Energy Minister Stephen Lecce's bureau said Friday.

Premier Doug Ford announced connected March 10 that Ontario was placing a 25 per cent surcharge connected energy the state sends to 1.5 cardinal homes successful 3 states arsenic 1 retaliatory measurement against tariffs imposed connected Canadian goods by U.S. President Donald Trump.

It caught the attraction of Trump, who past announced helium would treble impending tariffs connected alloy and aluminum from Canada to 50 per cent successful effect to Ontario's energy surcharge.

But cooler heads yet prevailed, and aft U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick invited Ford and immoderate national ministers to Washington, D.C., for a meeting, the White House confirmed it would instrumentality to the archetypal 25 per cent for alloy and aluminum tariffs, and Ford agreed to suspend the energy surcharge.

Lecce's bureau said Friday that implicit the people of the 1 time the surcharge was successful effect, Ontario's Independent Electricity System Operator exported astir 26,000 megawatt hours to the United States, collecting astir $260,000.

"Our authorities took swift enactment to support Canadian jobs and families by introducing a impermanent energy export surcharge," Lecce wrote successful a statement.

"This sent a wide message: Ontario won't backmost down to President Trump's unjustified tariffs."

The authorities said erstwhile it archetypal introduced the surcharge that immoderate revenues would beryllium utilized to "support Ontario workers, families and businesses," but his bureau declined to beryllium much circumstantial astir wherever the wealth would go.

The state had antecedently estimated that the surcharge would make $300,000 to $400,000 successful gross each time it was successful effect.