The Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has shared that its 2026 annual general meeting and convention focused on the impact of the expanded US tariffs on labour, investment, and integrated supply chains in the province and across the binational Great Lakes region.
In a media release, the OCC emphasized that the recent expansion of US duties to the whole value of steel, aluminum, copper, and derivative products beyond their metal content, pursuant to s. 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, jeopardized 15,000 jobs in southwestern Ontario and thousands others in manufacturing supply chains in Ontario and in US states.
“After a year in which tariffs devastated manufacturing in both Canada and the U.S., this new measure throws another wrench in the engine of the North American economy,” said Daniel Tisch, the OCC’s president and chief executive officer, in the media release.
Business leaders from across the province participated in the OCC’s recent gathering, which carried the theme “Ontario Connected: Business Without Barriers.”
The OCC noted that some businesses in Ontario have scaled back production or halted new hires amid higher costs, the loss of longtime US customers, and delayed or cancelled expansion plans.
“These tariffs are not well-understood, and that’s why Ontario businesses are sounding the alarm,” Tisch said. “Without swift relief, orders will vanish, investments will be shelved, and good jobs will be lost.”
What Ontario businesses need
As the review of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement approaches, the OCC noted that the province’s business community wants governments in the US and Canada to protect what is currently working, address what they can improve, and bring down the barriers that pose risks to the affected jobs and communities.
“Businesses need two things from governments right now: relief and resolution,” Tisch said in the OCC’s media release.
Tisch suggested the reinstatement of remissions and the provision of targeted cash-flow support as short-term solutions.
“But we also need a durable fix, one that’s negotiated between the two nations,” Tisch added. “If we get this wrong, we’re not just hurting Ontario, we’re undermining North America’s competitive edge.”
On behalf of a network of 60,000 members, the OCC seeks to convene, mobilize, and empower business and local chambers as they strive for inclusive and sustainable prosperity among the province’s businesses, workers, and communities.