Days before a prominent Hamilton steelmaker announced it would lay off more than 350 employees due to the trade war with the United States, the company informed the Ford government of the upcoming job losses.
Stelco, which is owned by U.S.-based Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., told employees on Monday that it would indefinitely idle production at the Hamilton facility in the coming weeks and would offer laid off workers jobs at a nearby steel mill in Nanticoke.
While the announcement came as a shock to employees, Ontario’s minister of economic development told Global News the government was given a heads up ahead of the public statement.
“Quite recently, quite recently,” Minister Vic Fedeli said of the timing of the conversation with Stelco.
“But like with all companies, whether they’re steel companies or copper, aluminum, lumber, we’ve been dealing with these companies for some time, being able to go over the programs that are available in Ontario.”
When asked for a specific timeline, Fedeli said the conversation took place “within days” of the announcement but added that “nothing was definitive” until the union and employees were informed.
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While the Ontario government routinely receives advance notice of large scale job losses, this is the third tariff-related layoff the Ford government was aware of before the public was made aware.
In the summer of 2025, one day before Crown Royal maker Diageo revealed it planned to shut down the bottling facility in Amherstburg, Ont. the company reached out to Ford’s office to offer the government a “heads up.”
Later that year, Ford said Algoma Steel also told the government in advance that it planned to cut roughly 1,000 positions due to the tariff war before workers were informed.
In both cases, the government tried to intervene.
Ford personally called the head of Diageo Canada to discuss options for the plant to remain on Canadian soil, while Algoma was given a $100 million taxpayer funded loan to reduce the severity of the staffing cuts.
In Stelco’s case, Fedeli wouldn’t say what – if anything – the government offered to avoid layoffs or whether the manufacturer applied for a government temporary funding program.
“I would say that these offers are made to all companies,” Fedeli said.
“We’ve been working, Ontario, the federal government, with all steel, aluminum, copper, lumber [sectors] so they all know what’s in the window for them and what’s available for them.”
When asked why Stelco wasn’t interested in additional funding to keep the mill open, Fedeli said the government doesn’t reveal discussions about “individual prospects.”
“We don’t speak about the specifics of who got what and where, other than when they’re announced.”
United Steelworkers Local 1005, which represents workers at the plant, told Global News it was told by the company that U.S. tariffs on steel, plus the lack of steel imports from other countries were behind the layoffs.
“It’s extremely devastating,” Union local president Ron Wells said.
With files from Sean Previl