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Ontario threatens to cut off critical minerals and electricity to US
The province warned it could disrupt US access to high-grade nickel and uranium as Trump plans wider tariffs on Canadian autos and steel.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford warned he will begin cutting off electricity and critical minerals produced in the province to the United States if the trade dispute continues to escalate, according to Mining.com, citing an Associated Press interview.
Ford tied the threat to US moves that would add new tariffs on Canadian autos and steel, and Mining.com notes the situation follows Prime Minister Mark Carney walking away from trade negotiations. Ford said he would use batteries as a retort, suggesting the US depends on what Canada supplies for energy technologies.
Mining.com also reports that Ontario exports critical minerals that are important to US supply chains, with Canada exporting $28.8 billion worth of critical minerals to the United States in 2025, about 57% of Canada’s total. The outlet highlighted Ontario’s Sudbury Basin for nickel used in stainless steel, electric-vehicle batteries, and defense applications, and cited Cameco’s Blind River uranium refining facility as the world’s largest commercial uranium refining site.
The article further describes Ontario’s Ring of Fire as a region with deposits including chromite, cobalt, nickel, copper, titanium, and platinum group elements, and says Ford has previously used energy as leverage, including a 25% surcharge on electricity exports to parts of the US in March 2025.
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