From Toronto's (and the world's) Globe and Mail, March 16:
Ontario Premier Doug Ford followed up his threats on energy exports this week by quickly retreating, demonstrating the limits of electron diplomacy.
When he first announced a 25-per-cent surcharge on electricity exported to the United States, Mr. Ford said it would remain in place indefinitely. If the U.S. escalated, he would halt transfers completely. “Until the threat of tariffs is gone for good, Ontario won’t back down,” he declared on Monday.
But U.S. President Donald Trump escalated on Tuesday, vowing to double steel and aluminum tariffs. That very afternoon, Mr. Ford announced he’d withdrawn the surcharge after U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick granted him a meeting – and, it seems, nothing else.
Other provincial governments, including British Columbia, Quebec and Manitoba, have mooted using electricity exports as leverage in the trade conflict. Mr. Ford’s backpedalling suggests it’s not the bargaining chip the premiers imagined it to be. Why?
To begin with, statements by Mr. Ford and his officials suggest that they either fundamentally misunderstood the importance of Ontario’s electricity exports to the Americans – or else had hoped to make them seem more consequential than they truly are.
For example, the Ford government repeatedly said that 1.5 million homes and businesses in New York, Michigan and Minnesota receive power from Ontario. The Premier went so far as to claim that Americans would see “up to $100” in additional charges on their monthly power bills.
The Globe and Mail asked Ontario officials to explain whose bills the Premier was referring to, and the basis for Mr. Ford’s figure. No response was provided over a four-day period. Isha Chaudhuri, a spokesperson for Energy Minister Stephen Lecce, clarified that Ontario doesn’t power those 1.5 million homes directly; rather, it’s an estimate of how many the province’s total annual exports could theoretically power.
The distinction matters: Ontario would have greater leverage if American homes actually depended on its power.
At first blush, Canada might appear to be an electricity-exporting superpower. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, Canada has consistently exported far more electricity to the U.S. over the past two decades than it has imported....
....MUCH MORE
Also at the Globe and Mail: Our wood is better, eh:
Softwood showdown: Canada touts superior lumber quality as U.S. escalates trade battle
