TORONTO — Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy said Tuesday that Stelco did not apply for provincial tariff relief before idling Hamilton finishing lines on October 9, a move that leaves up to 500 workers facing layoff after Queen’s Park spent months selling a $1-billion loan window as the answer to US duties.Bethlenfalvy told reporters the US-owned mill never tapped aid aimed at firms hit by President Donald Trump’s tariffs before the cold mill and coating lines go dark. United Steelworkers Canada called that choice shocking; United Steelworkers Local 1005 president Ron Wells said about 350 Hamilton steelworkers will be off the floor as the wind-down begins.The Protect Ontario Financing Program was built for steel, aluminum, copper, and auto firms facing Section 232 and later US measures. Economic Development Minister Vic Fedeli widened it this week to alcohol, dairy, and motorcycle shops after Washington banned more Canadian goods, but Stelco did not apply for the steel loans. A Fedeli spokesperson said the Ford government will “use every tool we have to help affected workers.”.Ottawa says it put money on the table too. Asked in North Vancouver what support the federal government was willing to give Cleveland-Cliffs and whether it would sue to enforce a no-layoff deal, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the government was “very disappointed at this decision by Stelco,” and that his thoughts were with “the workers and the families who have been betrayed by the company.” He said “there’s money on the table from the federal government,” that the company “made representations and has legal obligations for employment,” and that Ottawa will “use all powers that we have and pursue them to the full extent of the law.” Carney added that the idle was caused by US tariffs and that Cliffs CEO Lourenco Goncalves “applauded President Trump for putting those tariffs on.”Cleveland-Cliffs Inc., the Cleveland, Ohio steelmaker that bought Stelco in 2024 for $3.4 billion, did so under federal conditions that included keeping at least the same number of unionized employees for five years. Wells said the company is violating those commitments, and that Nanticoke’s Lake Erie Works has only about 40 to 46 openings — far short of the Hamilton cut. Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said she is “furious.” Wells noted Christmas is 12 weeks away and the company has given no end date for the idle..Stelco idles Hamilton finishing lines, 350 steelworkers face layoff
