RYAM shuts its Témiscaming plant and 425 workers carry the tariff bill
RYAM, which runs the Témiscaming industrial complex in Québec, said it will stop production there on 15 September for an indefinite period. Newsweek reported the decision affects 425 unionised workers, while Northern Ontario Business put the unionised workforce at about 400. Both reports tied the closure to US tariffs and unsustainable operating conditions, and Unifor and FONOM warned of cross-border economic fallout in northeastern Ontario.
Economics & Markets··Morning
Témiscaming production stops on 15 September
RYAM, which runs the Témiscaming industrial complex in Québec, said it intends to temporarily shut down the site on 15 September for an indefinite period. The company said the decision follows a business environment that has become unsustainable and that continued operations are simply no longer economically viable. Newsweek reported that 425 unionised workers will be affected, while Northern Ontario Business, citing Unifor Quebec director Daniel Cloutier, put the unionised workforce at about 400. Managers, contractors, suppliers and other businesses that depend on the facility are also in scope.[1], [2]
US tariffs and Canada's counter-measures
The company tied the move to US tariffs of up to 50 per cent imposed on 22 August on 27.6 billion dollars of Canadian goods. Canada's counter-tariffs take effect on 8 September at rates of 15 per cent, 25 per cent and 50 per cent on the same 27.6 billion dollars of US imports. Mayor Alain Gauthier called the tariffs a nuclear bomb for sectors that depend on the US market.[1]
Union reaction and regional concern in Ontario
Unifor Quebec director Daniel Cloutier said workers are being asked to absorb the economic shock of a trade war they did not start and cannot control, and the union is calling for stronger industrial policies and income security measures as the trade war with the United States escalates. FONOM President David Plourde stressed that although Témiscaming is in Québec, the facility has strong economic connections to North Bay and all of northeastern Ontario. FONOM warned a prolonged shutdown could mean the loss of a skilled workforce and have lasting consequences for the forestry industry, and Plourde said unfair US tariffs affect workers, families and local businesses.[2]
