Steel company with plants in Ontario and Quebec slashes workforce citing U.S. tariffs

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

More than 100 workers astatine a alloy works successful eastbound Ontario are being laid off either temporarily oregon permanently, arsenic a institution with facilities in Quebec and Ontario cuts its workforce owed to challenging marketplace conditions — including U.S. tariffs.

In a Wednesday statement, the United Steelworkers national said 30 workers person already received imperishable layoff notices at the Ivaco Rolling Mills works successful L'Orignal, Ont., located astir 90 kilometres northeast of Ottawa.

Beginning adjacent week, the other 120 workers astatine the facility are being laid disconnected for 1 week, the connection read.

"There's a batch of interest connected the store floor," said Richard Leblanc, an eastbound Ontario country coordinator for the union.

"It's rather hard to marque plans astir that benignant of hostility, if I whitethorn say."

The company, Canada Metal Processing Group (MPG Canada), issued a quality merchandise backmost connected Feb. 24 astir the decision to trim its workforce — earlier the existent tariffs went into effect.

In the release, the institution said it's reducing its workforce by 140  workers owed to challenging marketplace conditions — including threatened U.S. tariffs that are present successful place.

The mere menace of tariffs had already reduced request for MPG's products astatine the clip of that release, according to the company, and U.S. President Donald Trump has since slapped a 25 per cent levy connected alloy and aluminum coming into the U.S. from Canada.

MPG besides cited "trade challenges successful Canada" and the "increased situation of unfair commercialized imports into Canada" arsenic a origin successful its forecasted little demand.

'Depressing for a batch of people,' nonmigratory says

L'Orignal nonmigratory Louise Seguin said 1 of her sons has worked at Ivaco Rolling Mills for 15 years. She called quality of the layoffs "awful."

"If there's nary Ivaco, there's nary much enactment here," she said. "The municipality volition beryllium finished."

Another local, Debi Woods, said it's a "shame" this is each happening and said she's disquieted about Trump's unpredictability.

"Nobody knows what comes retired of that man's caput from one morning to the next," she said.

What happens astatine the installation has a "downward" effect connected the section economy, said Miles Downing, a retired works worker.

"It's not an casual spot to work. And with each this worldly connected apical of it, it's beauteous depressing for a batch of people," helium said.

Mayor of Champlain Township Normand Riopel said Ivaco is 1 of the area's biggest employers. L'Orignal itself is location to lone astir 1,400 people.

"There's a batch of manufacturers, there's a lot of subcontractors that bash woody with Ivaco. They volition besides consciousness the impact," helium said. 

"So it's not conscionable successful regards to a alloy plant. It's besides a full community."