Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded to the burgeoning trade tension between Canada and the United States with a threat that the province could cut off energy exports to the U.S. in retaliation to president-elect Donald Trump ’s threat of sweeping tariffs. But what would it look like if Ontario and other provinces carried out that threat? Some experts say Canada doesn’t have much room to work with when it comes to potential retaliation. On Wednesday, Ford along with other Canadian premiers met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to discuss the 25-per cent tariffs Trump has threatened to impose on all Canadian imports on his first day in office, which will be Jan. 20, 2025. After the meeting, Ford offered a threat of his own: to “cut off” millions of American residents living in border states from Ontario’s energy exports. “It would turn off the lights to a million-and-a-half Americans,” Ford said. “If they come at us we have to stand up for Canadians, we have to stand up for Ontarians.” A spokesperson for Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), Ontario’s energy regulator, said discussions are currently taking place. “There are active discussions underway with government about this matter and the IESO is not in a position to comment at this point in time,” IESO spokesperson Andrew Dow told Global News in a statement. Drew Fagan, a professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, said Canada may have more to lose from an energy war than the United States. “I’d be very careful about trying to get into a full war where they have a gun and we have a knife,” Fagan said. Fagan said risking a trade war with the U.S., particularly in the energy sector, could jeopardize Canadian jobs. “Tit-for-tat means we will damage our economy far more than we will damage their economy. And that means (a negative impact on) economic growth and jobs. And when we’re talking about the energy sector, we’re talking about good, high-paying jobs,” he said. Last month, Global News reported that according to documents filed with the B.C. Utilities Commission , BC Hydro imported 13,600 gigawatt hours of electricity in fiscal year 2024, at a cost of nearly $1.4 billion. Much of the power came from the U.S. and Alberta, where it was generated by burning fossil fuels. While three U.S. states — primarily Michigan and New York, but also Minnesota — receive Ontario energy, it does not account for the majority of their energy consumption. According to IESO data , Ontario sent 7,718 gigawatts of power to Michigan. However, the state produced 120,656 gigawatts of electricity domestically. New York had similar figures, producing 124,039 gigawatts domestically and importing 4,149 gigawatts from Ontario. Minnesota received 66 gigawatts from Ontario last year. One premier who doesn’t share Ford’s enthusiasm for cutting off energy exports to the United States is Alberta Premier Danielle Smith. Fagan said, “She (Smith) wouldn’t take that step because it would be something close to economic Armageddon for her economy. It’s interesting that Premier Ford didn’t suggest cutting off cars. He suggested a product that is important (to Ontario) but secondary.” On Thursday, Smith said, “Under no circumstances will Alberta agree to cut off oil and gas exports.” “I don’t support tariffs on Canadian goods and I don’t support tariffs on U.S. goods. Because all it does is make life more expensive for everyday Canadians and everyday Americans,” she said. As of 2022, Canada’s biggest export to the United States in terms of value was crude oil, worth $152.6 billion. According to Statistics Canada, the U.S. accounted for 97.4 per cent of Canada’s crude oil exports, with Alberta contributing to 87.4 per cent of the total volume exported to the U.S. Fagan cautioned that a tit-for-tat trade fight with the United States may not be contained to the energy sector. “What if they retaliate to his retaliation by doing something with regard to cars, which is a much bigger part of the Ontario economy?” Ontario is the highest-value exporting province to the United States, with its exports to its southern neighbour amounting to an annual $220.5 billion. Ontario’s highest-value export is motor vehicles, amounting to $36 billion, followed by gold at $17.66 billion. With conflict in the Middle East and in Eastern Europe currently raging, Fagan said Canada could pitch itself as the best bet for meeting U.S. energy needs. “Who do you want to buy from? You want to buy from Canada. We should be doing more trade, not less, in all forms of energy,” he said. Fagan said a larger trade war would hurt Canada more. “The Canadian economy is roughly the size of New York State. There’s a huge imbalance,” he said.Tyler Technologies CFO sells shares for $1.58 million
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Israel strikes Houthi rebels in Yemen's capital while the WHO chief says he was meters away JERUSALEM (AP) — A new round of Israeli airstrikes in Yemen has targeted the Houthi rebel-held capital of Sanaa and multiple ports. The World Health Organization’s director-general said Thursday's bombardment took place just “meters away” as he was about to board a flight in Sanaa. He says a crew member was hurt. The strikes followed several days of Houthi attacks and launches setting off sirens in Israel. Israel's military says it attacked infrastructure used by the Houthis at the airport in Sanaa, power stations and ports. The Israeli military later said it wasn’t aware that the WHO chief was at the location in Yemen. At least three people were reported killed and dozens injured in the Sanaa airport strike. An uneasy calm settles over Syrian city of Homs after outbreak of sectarian violence HOMS, Syria (AP) — Syria’s new security forces checked IDs and searched cars in the central city of Homs a day after protests by members of the Alawite minority erupted in gunfire and stirred fears that the country’s fragile peace could break down. A tense calm prevailed Thursday after checkpoints were set up throughout the country’s third-largest city, which has a mixed population of Sunni and Shia Muslims, Alawites and Christians. The security forces are controlled by the former insurgent group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which led the charge that unseated former President Bashar Assad. The US says it pushed retraction of a famine warning for north Gaza. Aid groups express concern. WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials say they asked for — and got — the retraction of an independent monitor's warning of imminent famine in north Gaza. The internationally Famine Early Warning System Network issued the warning this week. The new report had warned that starvation deaths in north Gaza could reach famine levels as soon as next month. It cited what it called Israel's “near-total blockade” of food and water. The U.S. ambassador to Israel, Jacob Lew, criticized the finding as inaccurate and irresponsible. The U.S. Agency for International Development, which funds the famine-monitoring group, told the AP it had asked for and gotten the report's retraction. USAID officials tell The Associated Press that it had asked the group for greater review of discrepancies in some of the data. Powerful thunderstorms rumble across Texas, delaying holiday travel DALLAS (AP) — Severe thunderstorms are firing up in parts of Texas and could trigger high winds, hail and potential tornadoes. More than 100 flights were delayed and dozens more were canceled Thursday at airports in Dallas and Houston. The National Weather Service says the greatest weather risk stretched from just east of Dallas, and between Houston and portions of southern Arkansas and western Louisiana. The risk includes the possibility of tornadoes, wind gusts between 60 and 80 miles per hour and large hail. The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for several counties in southeast Texas, including the Houston area. Trump has pressed for voting changes. GOP majorities in Congress will try to make that happen ATLANTA (AP) — Republicans in Congress plan to move quickly in their effort to overhaul the nation’s voting procedures, seeing an opportunity with control of the White House and both chambers of Congress. They want to push through long-sought changes such as voter ID and proof-of-citizenship requirements. They say the measures are needed to restore public confidence in elections. That's after an erosion of trust that Democrats note has been fueled by false claims from Donald Trump and his allies of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. Democrats say they are willing to work with the GOP but want any changes to make it easier, not harder, to vote. Americans are exhausted by political news. TV ratings and a new AP-NORC poll show they're tuning out NEW YORK (AP) — A lot of Americans, after an intense presidential election campaign, are looking for a break in political news. That's evident in cable television news ratings and a poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll found nearly two-thirds of Americans saying they've found the need recently to cut down on their consumption of political and government news. That's particularly true among Democrats following President-elect Donald Trump's victory, although a significant number of Republicans and independents feel the same way. Cable networks MSNBC and CNN are really seeing a slump. That's also happened in years past for networks that particularly appeal to supporters of one candidate. Aviation experts say Russia's air defense fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns Aviation experts say that Russian air defense fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured. Azerbaijan is observing a nationwide day of mourning on Thursday for the victims of the crash. Azerbaijan Airlines’ Embraer 190 was en route from Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku to the Russian city of Grozny in the North Caucasus on Wednesday when it was diverted for reasons yet unclear and crashed while making an attempt to land in Aktau in Kazakhstan. Cellphone footage circulating online appeared to show the aircraft making a steep descent before smashing into the ground in a fireball. Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy battlefield losses KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's military intelligence says North Korean troops are suffering heavy losses in Russia's Kursk region and face logistical difficulties as a result of Ukrainian attacks. The intelligence agency said Thursday that Ukrainian strikes near Novoivanovka inflicted heavy casualties on North Korean units. Ukraine's president said earlier this week that 3,000 North Korean troops have been killed and wounded in the fighting in the Kursk region. It marked the first significant estimate by Ukraine of North Korean casualties several weeks after Kyiv announced that North Korea had sent 10,000 to 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war. Ex-Sen. Bob Menendez, citing 'emotional toll,' seeks sentencing delay in wake of wife's trial NEW YORK (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez is asking a federal judge to delay his end-of-January sentencing on bribery charges, saying his family would suffer a “tremendous emotional toll” if the New Jersey Democrat was sentenced during his wife's trial. His lawyers told Judge Sidney H. Stein in a letter that Nadine Menendez would face a jury that might find it impossible not to hear about her husband's sentencing if it occurred eight days into her trial. The 70-year-old Menendez was convicted in July of 16 charges, including bribery. His wife, whose trial was postponed when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, faces much of the same evidence as her husband. How the stock market defied expectations again this year, by the numbers NEW YORK (AP) — What a wonderful year 2024 has been for investors. U.S. stocks ripped higher and carried the S&P 500 to records as the economy kept growing and the Federal Reserve began cutting interest rates. The benchmark index posted its first back-to-back annual gains of more than 20% since 1998. The year featured many familiar winners, such as Big Tech, which got even bigger as their stock prices kept growing. But it wasn’t just Apple, Nvidia and the like. Bitcoin and gold surged and “Roaring Kitty” reappeared to briefly reignite the meme stock craze.( MENAFN - GetNews) PHDCOLD has introduced its 1HP Water Chiller for Ice Bath & 60” Cold Plunge Tub Bundle, addressing the growing need for efficient cold therapy solutions. This bundle is designed to provide efficient and reliable cold therapy for sports teams, wellness centers, and individuals seeking effective recovery methods. With a legacy of delivering state-of-the-art cooling systems, PHDCOLD continues to provide innovative solutions for diverse applications, including athletic recovery and wellness. 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