Eastern Ontario workers say U.S. tariffs will harm jobs, increase prices

Tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum imports in the United States are starting to impactprices of big-ticket items in Ottawa, local suppliers warn, while also destabilizing steel mill jobs in the area.

The tariffs recently imposed on Canadian and EU materials are expected to be a hot topic at this weekend's G7 in Charlevoix, Que.

Even before the tariffs on U.S. allieswere announced 25 per cent on imported steel and 10 per cent on imported aluminum Sean Benson said suppliers warned him that swimmingpools would get more expensive due to the rising costs.

"We received notice from our suppliers that prices are going to go upfor in-ground pools they already have," said Benson, a manager at Campbell Pools in Orlans.

The price of above-ground pools made with aluminum is increasing by $200 to $300, according to Benson.

The installation of in-ground pools that use steel as opposed to polymer, fibreglass or concretemethods is already more expensive because they are ordered on purchase.

"On the in-ground pools, that could be upwards of $1,000 more on [a]$30,000 project. It adds up," he said.

RVsface price hike

Serge Lafrance, a manager at Orlans RV, said recreational campers are also vulnerable to these kinds of trade conflicts.

"Ninety per cent of the manufacturers of RVs (recreational vehicles) are in the [United] States," he said. "All the frame components, all the siding are affected. So it's a big part of the RV."

Lafrance said the current models in stock aren'taffected, but the tariffs could soon add "many thousands" of dollars to prices in the coming years.

Destabilizing steel jobs

The tariffs have also created uncertainty at the Ivaco Rolling Mills in L'Orignal, Ont.,which employs 600 people.About 450 of the workers are members of the United Steelworkers Union.

David Lipton, a staff representative with the union's Ottawa branch, worked at Ivaco until the early 1990s.

"The effect of the tariffs is going to destabilize that company and we're worried that it's going to destabilize the jobs of our members as well," he said.

Ivaco sells 75 per cent of its product to the United States, and Lipton said the company is working to keep production going despite the tariffs.

He called the trade action bothunfair and unfounded and said he'd like to see the Trudeau government stand up for steelworkers during the G7 summit.

Lipton said he hopes the American public will realizethat the tariffs should end because theNorth American steel and manufacturing markets are highly integrated.