Sudbury's Nickel Exports Insulated from Trade War Tensions

While other Ontario cities have expressed panic over the US-China trade war and resulting tariffs on Canadian goods, Sudbury's mayor Paul Lefebvre is unfazed. 'They need our nickel to continue,' he said, adding that the city's key exports of nickel and copper are not subject to tariffs.

Despite this, Ontario Premier Doug Ford has threatened to cut off critical minerals to the US in response to the latest round of Trump's tariffs. Lefebvre supports Ford's strategy but emphasized that local economic concerns must be taken into consideration.

The city is confident that the US will not impose tariffs on its nickel exports. In fact, Sudbury supplies over 43% of the US' 98,199 tonnes of unwrought nickel valued at $2.4 billion in 2024.

David Robinson, a retired professor of resource and environmental economics at Laurentian University, also believes that Sudbury stands to suffer less than the rest of Canada due to its diversified economy. He doubts that the US would impose tariffs on nickel, pointing out that it is necessary for vehicles made by Tesla, an ally of Trump.