Stelco flags fly beside a Canadian flag outside the Stelco Hamilton Works plant, after the steelmaker's U.S. owner Cleveland-Cliffs announced layoffs, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, October 29, 2026. (REUTERS/Carlos Osorio)
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Canadian steelmaker Stelco said on Friday it will recall on Dec. 1 all 175 workers who were temporarily laid off at its Hamilton, Ontario, plant and restart finishing operations after reaching deals with enough customers.
The country’s steel industry, among the first and hardest hit by President Donald Trump’s import tariffs, has started to recover on the back of mining, energy, and AI data center projects and government support, though the recovery has been uneven.
Here are more details:
• CBC News reported in September that U.S.-based steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs would idle some production at its Hamilton, Ontario, plant and lay off hundreds of workers, blaming the damage done by U.S. tariffs.
• Cleveland-Cliffs bought Stelco in 2024. The Canadian company makes flat-rolled steel, including coated, cold-rolled, and hot-rolled products, as well as pig iron and metallurgical coke.
• Canada’s response to Trump’s tariffs has drawn global attention, with Prime Minister Mark Carney among the few leaders to hit back at Washington despite his country’s heavy reliance on the U.S. economy.
• Stelco said all affected employees will also be paid retroactively for the standard wages they missed during the temporary layoff.
(Reporting by Apratim Sarkar in Bengaluru; Editing by Leroy Leo)
