Cleveland-Cliffs Cuts 500 Jobs at Stelco Hamilton Plant

Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. issued layoff notices affecting 500 employees at its Stelco operations in Hamilton, Ontario, in the Materials sector during October 17–18, 2026, according to reports from the Toronto Star, thecanadianpressnews.ca and BNN Bloomberg.

Lede

The U.S. steel owner notified workers that it will shut down the cold mill and coating departments at the Stelco plant in Hamilton, idling lines and impacting 500 staff, per reporting by the Toronto Star, thecanadianpressnews.ca and BNN Bloomberg. The action was described by company leadership as a temporary consolidation of production.

Reported layoffs

• Cleveland-Cliffs, Inc. — Hamilton, Ontario, Canada: The company issued layoff notices and announced it would idle the cold mill and coating departments at the Stelco Hamilton plant, affecting 500 employees, according to the Toronto Star, thecanadianpressnews.ca and BNN Bloomberg.

• Company statements included characterization of the notices as a temporary business decision to concentrate production and an intent to rehire workers; the company also indicated it is prepared to defend the action in court, per the same reports.

• Government and political response: Industry Minister Mélanie Joly warned Cleveland-Cliffs it must keep the jobs in Canada or face legal action, including possible forced divestment, with the minister saying hundreds of jobs are at risk, as reported by the Toronto Star, thecanadianpressnews.ca and BNN Bloomberg.

Closing

The shutdown at the Stelco Hamilton facility and accompanying WARN-style notices put 500 jobs at risk in the Materials sector, with company officials framing the move as a temporary production consolidation and federal officials signaling potential legal consequences, as reported by the Toronto Star, thecanadianpressnews.ca and BNN Bloomberg.