WASHINGTON — Canadians are waking up to a new and uncertain reality after U.S. President Donald Trump’s deadline for economy-wide tariffs passed with no relent overnight, triggering a continental trade war. The president’s executive order hitting Canada and Mexico with 25 per cent across-the-board tariffs, with a lower 10 per cent levy on Canadian energy, took effect at 12:01 a.m. ET. …Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is set to hold a press conference in Ottawa Tuesday morning with Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Public Safety Minister David McGuinty. Canada’s response is to start with tariffs on $30 billion worth of goods immediately and tariffs on the remaining $125 billion worth of American products 21 days later. The S&P 500 dropped two per cent in Monday afternoon trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 1.5 per cent and the Nasdaq composite slumped 2.6 per cent. Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned Americans that Canada would have a strong response and suggested he could shut down the movement of critical minerals and energy into the United States. He said Trump needs to pull back for the sake of Americans and Canadians.
In related coverage:
- The Whitehouse: Trump Proceeds With Tariffs On Canada and Mexico
- Forbes: Trump’s Tariffs Start Today—Here’s How They Could Impact Prices
- NY Times: China and Canada retaliate with Mexico to counter on Sunday
- 11News Colorado: Experts weigh in as Colorado and the country prepare for tariffs
GENEVA — Canada has requested consultations with the United States on “unjustified tariffs” at the 
OTTAWA — Steve Verheul used to get under the American trade negotiator’s skin. …Eventually, the Americans forged a deal with the Mexicans and Canadians, and in 2018 signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. …Now, as Trump slams Canada and Mexico with new tariffs, Verheul and a pair of trade veterans want to save the USMCA. …Verheul is co-launching the Coalition for North American Trade, a three-nation business group advocating for the long-term benefits of free trade. The CNAT is the brainchild of Kevin Brady, the Republican former chair of the House Ways and Means Committee. …Earlier this year, the trio launched their coalition and today, they’re bringing their pitch to Washington. …But until tariffs disappear, Verheul sees no prospect for productive talks. “I think the only hope is that the impact on the US economy, and the stock market, and various companies is extreme enough to create pushback within the US,” he says.
Canadian homeowners can expect to face higher premiums when they renew their home insurance, as new U.S. tariffs add pressure on property and casualty insurers by raising the cost of building materials and appliances. …The tariffs placed by Mr. Trump on building materials such as aluminum, steel and lumber will add extra costs for insurers to the goods used in replacing and repairing homes, cars and businesses, Brett Weltman, spokesperson for the Insurance Bureau of Canada, said. “While we don’t yet have a precise picture of the scope of these effects, over time, tariffs will hurt consumers and families on both sides of the border,” he said. …Bill Premdas, executive director of KPMG’s Canadian insurance practice, said a prolonged tariff battle with the U.S. could put pressure on claims costs as many of the resources used to rebuild and repair homes are covered by cross-border trade agreements. [Globe and Mail subscription required for full access to this story]
VICTORIA – The United Steelworkers union (USW) acknowledges the difficult position facing the B.C. government in its 2025 budget and applauds the thoughtful, diligent focus on priorities by Minister of Finance Brenda Bailey. U.S. President Donald Trump’s threats and the imposition of tariffs have created uncertainty for important exports, including lumber, copper, zinc and other essential products. …“Workers are calling for action to grow and diversify the economy and supply chains, reducing dependence on the U.S. market while ensuring jobs in mining, critical minerals and processing, forestry and lumber manufacturing,” said Scott Lunny, USW Western Canada Director. …B.C. should prepare for a wave of layoffs in the forest sector due to rising duties. …The USW is urging the B.C. government to increase the supply of fibre and streamline the permitting process in the logging sector to support the primary industry and facilitate ongoing efforts to expand manufacturing, Mass Timber and other value-added industries.
Overnight, Jake Power went from reflecting on one of the best months that his Agassiz-based custom sawmill has ever had to staring into a potential recession sparked by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Power, along with every other British Columbian, woke up to the reality of a trade war. …“Our business was growing, our customers were doing well,” said Power, CEO of Power Wood. “Now, I think we all expect a North American recession if this continues.” …Premier David Eby declared that “all bets are off” in terms of his response to standing up for the province. …Trade economist Werner Antweiler said he worries the most about B.C.’s forest industry, which was “already struggling (at) the edge of profitability.” …There is another looming danger in a trade war if it results in continuing depreciation of the Canadian dollar versus the U.S. currency, according to economist Bryan Yu.
Lumber prices have risen to their highest level in more than two years on news that U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered an investigation into softwood imports from Canada. The lumber probe is the latest salvo in an escalating trade war between the neighbouring countries. Analysts say that the investigation lays the groundwork for potential new %Tariffs on Canadian lumber, notably softwood imports. …Consequently, lumber futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange have risen 3.5% over the past day to trade at $657 U.S. per 1,000 board feet, the highest level since mid-2022. However, while lumber prices are marching higher on the threat of U.S. tariffs, the stocks of Canadian lumber companies are tanking. Shares of Interfor fell 9% while the stock of %Canfor declined 6% in Toronto trading on March 4, the day that the 25% tariffs went into effect.
The B.C. Council of Forest Industries (COFI) welcomed B.C.’s responses to American tariffs, but questioned aspects of the provincial budget tabled Tuesday. B.C.’s forests minister, meanwhile, is calling on Ottawa to step up supports. Kim Haakstad, president and CEO of COFI, said her organization welcomes the budget’s focus on responding to new tariffs announced March 4. “We are disappointed by the absence of dedicated support for the forest sector,” Haakstad said. “As Premier (David) Eby and (Forests) Minister (Ravi) Parmar have acknowledged, the forest sector will be particularly hard hit by the new tariffs at a time when the industry is already facing significant challenges. These broad-based tariffs apply to all forest product exports … adding further pressure on workers, companies and communities already affected by softwood lumber duties.” …COFI remains committed to working with the government to advance solutions that strengthen the forestry sector, improve the provincial economy and diversify markets. 
Planning, design and construction must adapt to this new world of tariffs and trade barriers. Canada has already imposed its own tariffs on products made in the US… but it is not just about materials and products; we must change what we build and where we build it. Some ideas for a Patriotic Canadian Built Environment: 1) More Mass Timber. Nordic, Element 5, Structurecraft and others have made major investments in mass timber, much of which is exported south. If the industry is to survive, we need a massive pivot to mass timber construction in Canada. …2) Make Canadian Wood Fibre Insulation. TimberHP in Maine has shown how a pulp and paper-based timber economy can pivot to insulation. …3) Electrify everything. Canada is an electricity powerhouse. Make every building Passivhaus to reduce demand and increase resilience. …4) Restructure from north-south to east-west. …5) More renovation and retrofit. …6) Design for a Sufficiency Economy. …7) Ban Sprawl.
President Trump is promising to unleash the US timber industry by allowing companies to raze swaths of federally protected national forests. …His order — which calls for the ramping up of the domestic timber production to avoid reliance on “foreign producers” — was followed by sweeping 25% tariffs on Canadian products, including lumber. …However, it’s more complex than simply swapping out Canadian imports for homegrown timber, said industry experts. …Meanwhile, environmental groups say clearcutting national forests will pollute the air and water and exacerbate climate change. Anna Kelly, White House deputy press secretary, referred to multiple organizations that have released statements of support about opening up federal land for logging, including the American Loggers Council, the American Forest Resource Council and the Forest Landowners Association. Increasing logging on federal lands would increase the supply of logs for US industry, said FEA’s Rocky Goodnow… but it won’t replace Canadian imports in the near term.
B.C.’s Ministry of Forests will pump $28 million into 74 wildfire-prevention projects across all eight of the province’s natural resource regions, an investment applauded by NDP MLAs given its nearly $3-million investment in Kootenay communities. Through the Forest Enhancement Society of BC (FESBC), 43 new and expanded fibre-recovery projects and 31 new and expanded wildfire-mitigation projects will receive the funding, with all 74 projects expected to be complete by end of March. …In the Kootenay natural resource region, some $2,854,000 is supporting seven projects. These include $1.6 million for Nk’Mip Forestry in Castlegar; $593,000 for the Slocan Integral Foresty Cooperative; $396,000 and $46,500 for the Nakusp and Area Community Forest in Nakusp and New Denver, respectively; $101,000 for the Harrop-Procter Community Co-operative; $96,500 for the West Kootenay Woodlot Association in Nelson; and $21,000 for the Creston Valley Forest Corporation.
In response to the Whitebark Pine Harvesting complaint response from the Forest Practices Board (FPB). Having been aware of and having followed the complaint over the last couple of years, it is interesting to read the FPB’s response summarized by Gazette staff in the Feb. 19, 2025 edition. The gravity of harvesting the Cut Block in question has more potential consequences than what meets the eye….We as local inhabitants of the Boundary have not yet convinced the Government to take these high elevation forests out of the Timber Harvesting Land Base (THLB) within the Boundary Timber Supply Area (TSA) or TFL 8. Doing so would help aid in preventing droughts and floods. Subalpine forests are harsh environments where tree establishment and growth is very difficult and slow. Will the Whitebark Pine seedlings survive in sufficient numbers to reestablish a new forest?…What are we doing?
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