Steel tariffs drive up ice rink construction costs for American customers of Winnipeg metal plant

CBC News

· Posted: Mar 12, 2025 9:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

A Winnipeg-based metallic works says U.S. tariffs connected alloy and aluminum volition wounded its American customers who build artificial crystal rinks — casting uncertainty implicit the aboriginal of contracts with the Canadian institution astatine a clip erstwhile the concern is expanding. 

"Canada has a peculiar expertise successful crystal rink construction. A batch of the large contractors are from here.… There's each those products going southbound of the borderline that are going to beryllium going to beryllium tariffed," said Rick Koss, who is the erstwhile proprietor of Hunter Wire and inactive works with the household concern successful a transitional capacity.

Among its products are crystal rink tube chairs — a steel-wire operation utilized successful the operation of rinks that clasp the rebar installed successful an arena's level and the refrigeration tube utilized to chill the ice. 

"Somebody's paying the tariff connected it. In this case, it's our customer," Koss said.

The institution began manufacturing the tube chairs successful the aboriginal 1960s, earlier improving the archetypal plan and patenting it. 

Hunter Wire is present the main supplier of the product, Koss said, supplying anywhere from 150 to 200 rinks successful North America every year, including nonrecreational facilities.

"Any NHL rink, we did it," said Koss. "You don't spot it, but the merchandise that's successful that task is ours."

About 30 per cent of the rink chairs are exported to the U.S. Under the Canada-United States-Mexico (CUSMA) trade agreement, the merchandise is exempted from tariffs.

But arsenic of Wednesday, a 25 per cent levy volition beryllium applied to immoderate of the rink chairs going to the U.S., after President Donald Trump imposed punishing tariffs connected Canadian alloy and aluminum.

Customers "pretty overmuch person to wound the slug and wage the accrued price," said Koss.

'Canada has to basal strong'

Hunter Wire's crystal rink tube chairs are a relatively "sole root item" for rink construction, manufactured with specialized machinery. It would take a caller concern astatine slightest $1 cardinal successful investments to get into the industry, said Koss.

"It's not a large capable marketplace for 10 competitors. It's conscionable not worthy it," helium said. "We're a small sheltered that way."

As well, pipe sizes and their placement connected the factual slabs vary from 1 arena to the next, helium said. 

"If determination was lone 1 type, idiosyncratic would beryllium producing it successful China and shipping it implicit … but each rink is unique, each technologist is unique."

But with American customers assuming the added outgo from the tariffs, determination is uncertainty astir whether upcoming orders volition be put connected clasp oregon cancelled. 

"[Businesses] truly don't cognize what they're going to do, however they're going to grip it," said Koss. "What are they explaining to their customers?"

No orders person been cancelled yet, arsenic astir of them are already good into the process, but the hazard produces anxiety — particularly arsenic the concern tries to grow to conscionable the increasing request for alloy products. 

"We've got commitments.… We person leases connected equipment, we've paid for instrumentality expanding the building," Koss said.

"You woody with it arsenic champion arsenic you can, and if astatine each it goes bad, past we could beryllium 1 of those statistics."

Hunter Wire has been done a receivership before, he said.

"It wasn't large fun. Certainly not looking guardant to doing it again."

WATCH | Manitoba ligament concern says U.S. customers person fewer options to debar tariffs: 

While Koss said Canada's effect to the U.S. tariffs has been "surprisingly good," helium would similar Manitoba to instrumentality enactment akin to Ontario's determination to surcharge a 25 per cent levy connected energy exports bounded to the U.S. — a determination Premier Doug Ford suspended Tuesday after speaking with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.

"Canada has to basal strong, enactment beardown and propulsion back, astatine slightest to the grade that the U.S. has started this commercialized war," said Koss.

During Wednesday's question play astatine the Manitoba Legislature, Minister of Business, Trade and Job Creation Jamie Moses said the NDP government is moving with Manitoba businesses that export alloy and aluminum, including successful Selkirk, wherever much than 70 per cent of the alloy produced is shipped to the United States

But Richard Perchotte, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Selkirk, said the state inactive has nary program to assistance workers successful the alloy and aluminum industry, which provides employment for 800 radical successful his constituency.

"Failing to program is readying to fail," helium said. "Steel and aluminum companies successful Manitoba request a plan.… Tariffs connected Canadian alloy and aluminum imports into the U.S. volition beryllium devastating to Manitoba's economy."