The ongoing trade war launched by U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs is having a definite effect on local manufacturers.
CEO of the Quinte Economic Development Commission Chris King tells Quinte News reaction to the tariffs has been “mixed.”
” … talk to some manufacturers that are laying off a substantial part of their workforce but we have others that are growing, expanding, and investing.”
Manufacturers that continue to do well tend to be in food processing and other industries not involved with the steel, aluminum, and automotive industries.
Meanwhile, the QEDC is waiting for word on funding from the provincial Tariff-Impacted Communities Fund that it hopes to use to provide local manufacturers with trade diversification support, more supply-chain connections, more investment in the defence industry, and supports to increase foreign and technology investments.
QEDC’s application was for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The Quinte region was deemed the 11th hardest hit area in the country by tariffs in a recent report.
