CALGARY – The federal government is offering Canadian oil and gas drillers counter-tariff reprieve on the vast amounts of sand they import from the United States.
The sand is used in the hydraulic fracturing — or fracking — process to help free resources trapped in hard-to-access shale formations deep underground.
It’s among the imported U.S. goods on which Canada has imposed a surcharge in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s flurry of tariffs.
Sand from Wisconsin meets the specs needed by Canadian drillers, and the lion’s share of what they use is brought in from the Midwestern state.
A federal order published in the Canada Gazette newsletter this week says relief is available for companies that import silica and quartz sand, among other products.
Gurpreet Lail, the chief executive of industry group Enserva, says it’s fantastic news, as the counter-tariffs on sand alone would have cost industry $275 million a year.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2025.