Matthew Van Dongen

2 days ago | thespec.com | Matthew Van Dongen

U.S. President Donald Trump’s abrupt decision to double tariffs on Canadian steel imports is a “devastating” blow to an already struggling Hamilton economy, warn local leaders who are appealing for urgent government intervention. Trump signed an executive order that doubled steel tariffs to 50 per cent just after midnight Wednesday — a “crushing blow” that will “essentially close the U.S. market” to Canadian steel companies, warned the Canadian Steel Producers Association.

3 days ago | thespec.com | Matthew Van Dongen

That hazy, red sun hanging over Hamilton is a reminder of deadly forest fires raging in Western Canada and northern Ontario. But so far, Environment Canada says the high-flying smoke is not a “surface level” air quality concern for local residents. Major forest fires are burning in B.C., Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario, in some cases resulting in deaths and mass evacuations from fire-threatened communities.

3 days ago | stcatharinesstandard.ca | Matthew Van Dongen

That hazy, red sun hanging over Hamilton is a reminder of deadly forest fires raging in Western Canada and northern Ontario. But so far, Environment Canada says the high-flying smoke is not a “surface level” air quality concern for local residents. Major forest fires are burning in British Columbia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and northwestern Ontario, in some cases resulting in deaths and mass evacuations from fire-threatened communities.

4 days ago | thespec.com | Matthew Van Dongen

The city has issued a “cease and desist” letter to the union for striking water workers over what it calls “ongoing disruptions” during an acrimonious labour dispute. But the union for water and sewage treatment workers says members have done nothing “unlawful” in strategic pickets across the city — including one last Thursday at the city’s transit garage that delayed service for thousands of rush-hour bus riders.

4 days ago | thespec.com | Matthew Van Dongen

National Steel Car workers, freshly returned from a mass layoff, are hoping a U.S. plan to impose 50 per cent tariffs on steel imports is more political threat than new reality. President Donald Trump — who rocked Canada-U.S. relations in March by imposing 25 per cent steel tariffs — announced late last week those duties could be doubled as early as Wednesday.