Will Canada Cut Off Power to New York State?

After President Trump began a 25% tariff on Canada, the country is threatening to cut power off to parts of the United States.

At midnight on March 4, the United States, via President Donald Trump, imposed a 25% tariff on Canadian goods. In response, Canada is imposing a 25% tariff on American Goods. The action has triggered a trade war between the two countries.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is threatening to cut power altogether to the over 1.5 million homes and businesses Ontario, Canada, provides to the United States in multiple states if President Trump continues to impose these or more tariffs. Effective immediately, Ontario will impose a 25% tariff on all energy exports to those homes and businesses. That means anyone receiving power from them will have a 25% increase starting now.

How will this affect New Yorkers?

Will New York Lose Power Due to Trump's Tariffs?

Thousands of New Yorkers, especially Upstate and in places like Buffalo, New York, are looking at massive increases in their electric bills. Winter is not over, and summer is on the way, meaning electric bills will be potentially crippling for some  The tariffs could have far-reaching effects on those downstate as well.

While Ford is threatening to cut off the power, that does not mean New York will be in the dark, though. After all, New York does have its own sources of power from hydroelectric in Niagara Falls (though Canada owns some of that), Nuclear plants across the state, and several green energy farms. Still, New York imported a lot of energy from Canada last year alone.

In 2024, New York State imported 7.7 TWh of Canadian electricity, which was more than any other state - NYISO

If Ontario cut off power, it's hard to say exactly what would happen or if people would immediately lose power. The one thing that seems clear is that New Yorkers will be paying a lot more for their electricity moving forward.

Other Issus with Tariffs

Ford says alcohol made in the US will not be sold in Ontario from this point on. They have even had the products pulled from shelves in Ontario. The province has discontinued it's contract with StarLink, owners by Elon Musk.

Canada is big provider of steel to the United States, which will have massive effects on the auto industry and other manufactured goods. America also gets a lot of oil from Canada, which will likely mean an increase in fuel costs.

This is a developing story. See Ontario Premier Doug Ford's press conference below.