Cleveland-Cliffs reportedly will idle output at Canada steel plant, citing tariffs
CLF•Cleveland-Cliffs is idling finishing operations at its Hamilton, Ontario, plant and will focus production at Nanticoke. A report citing an internal memo said the wind-down starts October 9 and could affect up to 500 employees.
1. Hamilton operations to wind down
Cleveland-Cliffs will indefinitely idle cold-rolled and coated operations at its Stelco plant in Hamilton, Ontario, with operations set to begin winding down on October 9, a report citing an internal memo said. Up to 500 employees will be affected.
2. Production shifts to Nanticoke
Stelco confirmed it was idling finishing operations in Hamilton and said it would concentrate steel production at its Nanticoke, Ontario, works. Hamilton employees would be offered jobs at the Nanticoke plant.
3. Tariffs cited as factor
The company cited damage from U.S. tariffs. The report said an executive order signed in June 2025 applied tariffs of up to 50% to certain steel and aluminum imports from Canada, and quoted the memo saying import volumes remained too high for Stelco to bridge the gap created by the trade crisis.
