New tariffs could jeopardize jobs in Buff / Ont.

People on both sides of the U.S. & Canadian border are now wondering how much of an impact new tariffs will have on local jobs.

The U.S. has placed a 25% tariff on the import of steel and a 10% tariff on the import of aluminum coming from the European Union, Mexico and Canada.  In response, Canada is promising to impose its own import taxes on American steel/aluminum and products like orange juice, whiskey and other food products.

One community that is very anxious about a trade war is Hamilton, Ontario, which is known as the 'Steel Capital of Canada.'

According to Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger, around 9,000 people work directly for Hamilton's steel industry, while another estimated 35,000 people work in steel-related jobs.

Mayor Eisenberger told 7 Eyewitness News Reporter Ed Reilly that the tariff's will end up hurting people on both sides of the border because they will drive up production costs and decrease employment opportunities.  The mayor is hoping saner heads will prevail to keep the trade war from building and causing long-term damage to U.S. & Canadian relations.

Ed Reilly has more in his report.