Selkirk residents weigh impacts on Manitoba steel city on the eve of U.S. tariffs

Arturo Chang · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 10:53 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Some residents of a small, steel-producing metropolis successful Manitoba are connected borderline arsenic the U.S. is yet again poised to enforce tariffs connected Canadian goods — this clip connected aluminum and steel.

Global tariffs connected exports of the metals to the U.S. are acceptable to instrumentality effect connected Wednesday aft midnight. 

Some radical surviving successful the metropolis of Selkirk accidental the 25 per cent levies — which U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to treble connected Tuesday for Canada earlier Ontario Premier Doug Ford suspended a taxation connected energy to the U.S. — could endanger jobs and heavy interaction the community's economy.

The Gerdau Ameristeel Manitoba steel mill — formerly known arsenic Manitoba Rolling Mills — was established successful Selkirk successful 1907 and is inactive a large leader for metropolis residents.

More than 70 per cent of the alloy produced successful the metropolis astir 40 kilometres northbound of Winnipeg is shipped retired to the States, the city's politician says.

Selkirk resident Erin Rudniski said the full commercialized warfare concern is unfair.

"Lots of radical are going to suffer jobs," she said Tuesday. "I person friends that enactment successful the manufacture and they're acrophobic for their jobs. They're acrophobic that they won't beryllium capable to provender their families — and that's a immense interest arsenic a Canadian."

WATCH l Manitoba alloy municipality braces for interaction of Trump's tariffs:

About 1 successful 20 residents successful Selkirk — which has astir 10,000 residents — works successful the alloy industry, according to the city.

The Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters said the alloy mill produces astir $200 cardinal worthy of alloy annually.

The association's vice-president for the Prairies, Terry Shaw, said the interaction volition beryllium "incredibly damaging" not lone to the workers and their employer, but the municipality itself.

"What does it mean for the municipality of Selkirk and surrounding areas if hundreds of radical are connected work-share oregon laid off?," helium said.

"What does that mean for the edifice industry, the hospitality industry?… The impacts are going to beryllium felt overmuch beyond the manufacturer."

'Perplexing and angering'

The United Steelworkers Union represents astir 7,500 members successful the province.

Scott Lunny, Western Canadian manager for the union, said that members are aggravated and frustrated, arsenic Trump's on-again, off-again commercialized warfare clouds their aboriginal successful uncertainty.

Lunny said the commercialized warfare volition wounded some sides.

"It's really … perplexing and angering to folks that it's gotten to [this]," helium said.

"A batch of the worldly that we vessel to the U.S. from Canada goes to make manufacturing jobs successful the United States already. And so if that's the goal, a commercialized warfare betwixt Canada and the United States isn't bully for gathering up U.S. jobs."

The mill avoided layoffs successful 2018, erstwhile the archetypal Trump medication imposed akin tariffs connected alloy and aluminum, the city's politician said.

Wayne Halipchuk, who utilized to enactment astatine Gerdau but is present retired, said the mill has made it done "thick and thin" implicit the years and that he's assured thing superior volition happen.

"We've gone done this earlier and we survived, truthful …" helium said.