“Canadian Businesses in Southern Ontario Face Uncertainty Amid Tariffs”

With the ongoing Canada-U.S. trade conflict intensifying, CBC photographer Evan Mitsui has been visiting businesses in southern Ontario affected by tariffs. Whether dealing with furniture, live flowers, or circuit boards impacted by new U.S. tariffs, a common theme emerges at these businesses: “Uncertainty.”

Saeid Mohmedi, the founder and president of MIS Electronics Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ont., has navigated various challenges in his over 25 years in business, but nothing quite like this current situation.

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Expressing his concerns, Mohmedi stated, “With this individual in the White House, we simply don’t know what to expect in the next three to six months.”

MIS specializes in manufacturing printed circuit boards (PCBs) for clients in the automotive, electronics, and other industries.

“The majority of my business is with Canadian companies,” Mohmedi explained. However, his clients, including prominent names like Sony, Samsung, and Toyota (as listed on MIS’s website), export to the United States.

This setup means that the products manufactured by these companies are impacted by Canadian content regulations.

A Time of Constriction

Furthermore, Mohmedi is grappling with rising costs. Although many components used in MIS’s PCBs are sourced from Taiwanese companies, the procurement process often involves the U.S., leading to increased complexities and expenses.

This period poses challenges for a business that heavily relies on research and development (R&D) and long-term planning. According to MIS’s vice-president John Tryhub, “Forecasts for the future beyond six months are all pointing downwards.”

Concentrated in the manufacturing hubs of Markham and Richmond Hill, Ontario’s technology sector specializes in PCB production — the foundational green substrates where transistors, diodes, and chips are soldered to create electronic device components. 

While Ontario hosts major global corporations like Siemens and Celestica, a significant portion of the sector’s output comes from companies like MIS, focusing on large-scale business orders of 10,000 units at a time. These PCBs are utilized in various products, ranging from handheld radios and EV chargers to medical devices and slot machines.