The Ontario government has continued its pledge to help companies hit the hardest by U.S. tariffs.
Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation, and Trade Vic Fedeli stopped in Windsor on Wednesday to announce a $7.3-million investment for eight Windsor-Essex companies.
Fedeli was at Dimachem in Windsor, a producer of industrial and commercial chemical products, including Pine-Sol. He was joined by Windsor-Tecumseh MPP Andrew Dowie and Essex MPP Anthony Leardi.
Despite the U.S. Supreme Court recently striking down most of the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration, Fedeli said the Windsor-Essex region remains a vital part of the system.
"Windsor knows better than anybody how deeply integrated the Ontario and United States economies are," said Fedeli. "Every single minute of every day, made-in-Ontario goods move across the Detroit River as part of one of the most sophisticated supply chains anywhere in the world."
The eight companies receiving the provincial grants have contributed a total of $44-million of their own money, for operations that will maintain 692 jobs across the region and create 65 new jobs.
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens added that it will take everyone's contributions to navigate the situation, and this funding helps local companies do so.
"It's a matter of time before this mess gets cleaned up, but until it does, it's crucial that we have the support of the federal and provincial governments leaning in to make sure that all of us have the comfort that we need to pay the mortgages, to make car payments, to put groceries on the table, and to keep continuing to live our lives, until there is more stability and certainty in the universe," said Dilkens.
In addition to Dimachem, the Windsor-Essex companies receiving funding include Canadian Electrocoating Ltd., Central Stampings Ltd., Jahn Engineering Ltd., Kringer Industrial, Next Gen Mold Technologies, Reko International Group Inc., and Stratus Plastics International Inc.
The investment comes from the Ontario Together Trade Fund (OTTF), created by Queens Park to help manufacturers weather the storm caused by tariffs.
