How Canada's retaliatory tariffs could drive up your winter heating costs - National Post
“In a few weeks, it’s going to get cold, and people are going to need to turn on their furnaces. Those furnaces that are old and need to be replaced are being tariffed,” says the executive director of ClimateCare Canada. Photo by Postmedia fileArticle contentWASHINGTON, D.C. — In the past week, the trade war saw new U.S. import restrictions on $1 billion in Canadian goods, fresh pain for Canadian steel workers, and more fiery rhetoric from the White House.
Last Monday, hundreds of Stelco workers in Ontario learned of looming layoffs and a plan to halt operations at the Hamilton Works plant. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump announced a massive, $15 billion mega-steel plant project for Iowa, touting hundreds of new jobs for the region.
“These are your 232 tariffs, the steel tariffs, at work,” U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said during that announcement, referring to the Section 232 tariffs Washington has imposed to support U.S. steel. “Without those tariffs, this mine doesn’t get built, and this steel plant doesn’t get built.”
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Prime Minister Mark Carney laughed off U.S. President Donald Trump’s comment that Canada would say “sorry” for its retaliatory tariffs, but as trade tensions heat up, industry leaders are finding the tariffs anything but funny. That’s especially true in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) field, where costs are rising just in time for the colder months.
Prime Minister Mark Carney speaking at a press conference on ocean conservation in Vancouver on Sept. 29.Article contentThis has led to an unusual cross-border response by the HVACR industry, with Canadian and U.S. groups that represent contractors, distributors, and manufacturers working together to push Ottawa and Washington to preserve the tariff-free trade arrangement under the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA). They warn that duties on equipment and components are driving up costs, disrupting tightly integrated supply chains, and even pushing buyers to look for offshore suppliers.
“In a few weeks, it’s going to get cold, and people are going to need to turn on their furnaces. Those furnaces that are old and need to be replaced are being tariffed,” said Victor Hyman, executive director of ClimateCare Canada, an HVAC contractor cooperative in Ontario.
