Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus discussing alliance with New York municipalities amid tariff threat

The Eastern Ontario Wardens' Caucus (EOWC) is hoping to form an alliance with municipal leaders in New York State, amid U.S. president Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian trade.

At his inauguration Monday, it was reported Trump will not impose tariffs on his first day in office, but leaders say they are not sitting still yet.

In support of Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the EOWC sent letters to the New York State Association of Counties and the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative to form an alliance against the tariffs.

“It’s up to us to reach out to our neighbours to the south and get their support,” said EOWC chair Bonnie Clark. “Because these tariffs, it’s a two-way street here. It’s going to hurt both of us here in Ontario and Canada, but also our neighbouring states because they are our primary trade partners.”

The EOWC represents 13 jurisdictions and 103 municipalities in eastern Ontario.

Clark says the region’s annual demand is $132.5 billion through trade with the U.S.

“If we are burdened with tariffs from the states and there’s any sort of retaliation, it’s going to have a devastating effect on our workforce and our businesses that rely on that easy trade that has been the case for many years,” said United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Warden Corinna Smith-Gatcke. “There’s so much economic traffic that goes through both of those border crossings on a day-to-day basis.”

Canarm Ltd. – a manufacturing company based in Brockville – also owns a plant in Illinois. Company president Jim Cooper says if the tariffs are imposed, his company won’t be able to keep expanding.

“The border’s always front of mind for us,” he said. “The tariffs just give us more challenges in business that we really don’t need. The 25 per cent tariff is going to give us challenges in where we manufacture.”

The EOWC says they are encouraged by discussions with the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, with a meeting scheduled Monday afternoon.

“We are starting those opening conversations and certainly both putting out plans on how we can be effective and certainly not have this come into place and affect our economies,” Clark said.