bullet-point summary<\/a> on its website, referring to such imports as a \u201cnational-security threat.\u201d<\/p>\nJonathon Azzopardi is the president and CEO of Laval Tool & Mould Ltd., in Maidstone, Ont., just outside of Windsor. <\/p>\n
His company has been in the community for 49 years and employs more than 100 people.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis was a direct attack at the supply chain in Canada,” he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Jonathon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776461109_888_default.jpg\")
Jonathon Azzopardi is the head of Laval Tool & Mould Ltd., in Maidstone, Ont., just outside of Windsor. (Dalson Chen\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Referring to it as “premeditated murder” to the industry, Azzopardi says the United States took the same approach with the automotive sector.<\/p>\n
“We see how many plant closures … This cannot be taken lightly. There are ways to mitigate it. We know that other industries have been excluded from this tariff for the same reasons that apply to us, and action needs to be taken now.”<\/p>\n
Azzopardi says China is the biggest threat to the North American mould maker industry \u2014 not Canada.<\/p>\n
He estimates the hike in tariffs could hit his company’s bottom line by as much as $5 million worth of product in one year.<\/p>\n
“We will have to start to look at what our options are … and if that means possible relocation or something to do in the United States, we may have to consider those at this time because this is the time of desperation.”<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776461110_679_default.jpg\")
The Canadian Association of Mold Makers represents mould makers, service providers, and suppliers in Canada’s precision manufacturing industry. (Canadian Assocation of Mold Makers)<\/p>\n
Nicole Vlanich is the executive director of the Canadian Association of Mold Makers (CAMM).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The main hub of mould makers in Canada is in the Windsor, Ont., area because of its proximity to the border and U.S. clients.<\/p>\n
Vlanich says they were completely taken off guard by the amendments \u2014 calling it a \u201cdrastic change,\u201d that \u201ccame out of left field.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She says businesses have to pay tariffs on 100 per cent of their value, and for each time they cross the border.<\/p>\n
\u201cA mould that was paying $1,500 in tariffs a couple of weeks ago is now paying over $30,000 potentially in tariffs just due to this change \u2014 and that’s just one item,\u201d she told CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning host Amy Dodge.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMoulds go back and forth. We are a very integrated system with the U.S., so they go back and forth. So this is significant.\u201d<\/p>\n
LISTEN | How are new tariffs affecting Windsor’s tool and mould industry?:<\/p>\n
Windsor Morning9:04How are new tariffs affecting Windsor’s tool and mould industry? <\/p>\n
According to Vlanich, the industry gives quotes months in advance, with many businesses having products already on the floor, ready to ship, when news of the tariff spike came out.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one really knows the implications. They’re kind of taking it as it goes because \u2026 they can’t stop production. It would stop things on both sides of the border. We rely on each other. We are two different countries, but we really operate as as one region.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vlanich said if the tariffs remain for the long term, there\u2019s a fear another country could come in and take business from Canadian mould makers. She\u2019s hoping summer Canada-U.S.-Mexico Trade Agreement (CUSMA) trade talks can rewrite the changes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of members that have 10 or less employees. Their profit margins are … five to 10 per cent. They don’t have this kind of money, and to keep them open and to keep them going \u2026 they’re going to need some financial relief at minimum.\u201d<\/p>\n
Political relief required?<\/p>\n
A federal standing committee on industry and technology has agreed to further study the issue for three days later this month. Azzopardi will be attending and speaking in Ottawa. <\/p>\n
Windsor\u2014Tecumseh Conservative MP Kathy Borrelli tabled the motion for the study calling it an \u201cemergency crisis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Essex Conservative MP Chris Lewis says it\u2019s impacting food on the tables of all Canadian families.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there was ever a bipartisan special emergency study, this is the one, because it effects all of us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1776461110_353_default.jpg\")
A new tariff hitting Canada’s mould makers is hitting the industry hard, according to businesses and politicians. (Dale Molnar\/CBC)<\/p>\n
Ryan Donally, president of the Windsor-Essex Chamber of Commerce, says the tariff alterations have been a \u201cmajor shock\u201d to many of their local businesses.<\/p>\n
Windsor\u2014Tecumseh Conservative MPP Andrew Dowie says it\u2019s created serious uncertainty across the sector and says mould making is \u201cfoundational\u201d to all of manufacturing.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery vehicle, appliance and medical device depends on precision tooling produced by Ontario companies operating in an integrated North American supply chain,\u201d he said in the legislature this week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 5 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":611010,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[45,49,48,46],"class_list":["post-611009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-economy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=611009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/611009\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/611010"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=611009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=611009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=611009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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<\/p>\n