Canada Ontario to slap 25% tariff on electricity exports to US

Ontario threatens to cut power to US, imposes 25% surcharge amid trade tension

Ontario threatens to cut power to US, imposes 25% surcharge amid trade tension
Ontario threatens to cut power to US, imposes 25% surcharge amid trade tension 

Canada's most populous province Ontario is slapping a retaliatory 25% surcharge on electricity it sends to US states in response to President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods.

Ontario leader Doug Ford confirmed the move in a news conference on Monday morning, saying it will increase costs about $10 (£7.75) per megawatt-hour for US customers, BBC reported.

Roughly 1.5 million American homes in the northern border states of New York, Michigan and Minnesota will be impacted.

Ford said that the surcharge on energy will remain until the threat of tariffs from the US "is gone for good."

"President Trump's tariffs are a disaster for the U.S. economy. They're making life more expensive for American families and businesses," Ford said in a statement on Monday.

He added that Ontario will be using the revenue from its retaliatory tariffs on energy to support local workers and businesses impacted by US tariffs on Canada.

Canada's federal government has also imposed its own dollar-for-dollar reciprocal tariffs on $30bn worth of US goods exported north. The list of products impacted ranges from clothing to perfume to orange juice.