Ontario’s gearing up to sock 1.5 million American homes with a 25% electricity surcharge starting Monday, a retaliatory jab at U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs, Premier Doug Ford announced Thursday. The province, which powers parts of Minnesota, New York, and Michigan, isn’t backing down until Trump scraps his 25% goods and 10% energy levies entirely. “You get burned once, you don’t mess with the stove again,” Ford quipped, signaling Ontario’s resolve despite a one-month tariff pause on autos and some goods until April 2.
Ford’s not thrilled about it—“I feel awful for those governors,” he admitted, citing his tight bonds with Minnesota’s Tim Walz and others who call the tariffs “terrible.” Walz, a Democrat, warned Trump’s move threatens trade worth billions, hitting Minnesota’s industries hard. Ford’s pinning the chaos—market jitters, job risks, pension woes—squarely on Trump: “This mess is all him.” Canada’s firing back with $30 billion in tariffs on U.S. goods, with $125 billion more queued up, while Ford’s pushing for a full USMCA redo. He’s betting on Canadian grit, saying Trump “misjudged our fight,” and hinting at bigger moves—like cutting power or hoarding nickel—if the trade war drags on.