A major highway and roads are flooded as torrential rains hit Canada's largest city

TORONTO (AP) — A major highway, several thoroughfares and a key transit hub were flooded in Canada's largest city on Tuesday after torrential rain hit Toronto, while power outages were reported in multiple areas.

Toronto police said part of the Don Valley Parkway, which runs from the north part of the city into the downtown area, was closed due to flooding. They also said part of Lakeshore Boulevard, which runs along Lake Ontario, was flooded and closed.

Toronto Fire Services said they rescued two people from flooding on the highway – one from inside their vehicle and another from the roof of their car – and later rescued another 12 people from flooding further down the highway.

Fire crews were also responding to an “extremely high” number of rescues related to flooding and elevator entrapments, the service said.

At the heart of Toronto's downtown core, flooding was reported at Union station, a key transit terminus. Subway trains were not stopping at Union, the Toronto Transit Commission said, while several transit buses and streetcars were making detours on their regular routes across the city due to localized flooding.

Billy Bishop Airport, which is located on the Toronto Islands minutes from downtown, said its pedestrian tunnel had been closed due to flooding, with passengers directed to take the ferry over to the airport.

Flooding was also disrupting life in many other parts of the Greater Toronto Area, with the provincial police warning of flooding on parts of highways and local police forces urging caution.

In Peel Region, west of Toronto, police said they had reports of manhole covers lifting due to the volume of rain and were urging residents to use caution when driving.

The Toronto and Region Conservation Authority issued a flood warning and said that shorelines, rivers and streams in the Greater Toronto Area should be considered dangerous.

Environment Canada had issued rainfall warnings for the Greater Toronto Area and much of southern Ontario as a mix of heavy rain and thunderstorms moved across the region.

It had warned that there could be rainfall amounts of up to 125 millimeters for parts of the Greater Toronto Area.

City crews clean up debris on Lake Shore Blvd., after heavy rain caused flooding, in Toronto on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

City crews clean up debris on Lake Shore Blvd., after heavy rain caused flooding, in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

A view of inside the Union Station is seen during a flood following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

A person walks through the Union Station during a flood following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cars are partially submerged in floodwaters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cars are partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Bay Street concourse is blocked off due to flooding at Union Station in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Sean Vokey/The Canadian Press via AP)

Traffic backs up on the Don Valley Parkway due to flooding following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

A car is partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

Drivers stranded due to flood waters blocking the Don Valley Parkway are rescued by fire crews following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Don River overflows causing flooding surrounding on roads following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

The Don River overflows causing flooding surrounding on roads following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cars are partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

A tow truck operator responds to submerged vehicles at an underpass at Parkside Drive and Lake Shore Blvd., after heavy rain caused flooding, in Toronto on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Cars are partially submerged in flood waters in the Don Valley following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

Drivers are stranded due to flood waters blocking the Don Valley Parkway following heavy rain in Toronto, on Tuesday, July 16 2024. (Arlyn McAdorey/The Canadian Press via AP)

TORONTO (AP) — Canada announced Monday it is launching a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, matching U.S. tariffs imposed over what Western governments say are China's subsidies that give its industry an unfair advantage.

The announcement came after encouragement by U.S. national security advisor Jake Sullivan during a meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Cabinet ministers Sunday. Sullivan is making his first visit to Beijing on Tuesday.

Trudeau said Canada also will impose a 25% tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum. “Actors like China have chosen to give themselves an unfair advantage in the global marketplace,” he said.

One of the Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada is from Tesla, made at the company’s Shanghai factory, though the U.S. company could avoid the tariff by switching to supplying Canada from factories in the U.S. or Germany.

Chinese brands are not yet a player in Canada. However, Chinese EV giant BYD established a Canadian corporate entity last spring and has indicated it intends to try and enter the Canadian market as early as next year.

Chinese officials are likely to raise concerns about the American tariffs with Sullivan as Beijing continues to repair its economy after the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. President Joe Biden in May slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment.

“The U.S. does believe that a united front, a coordinated approach on these issues benefits all of us,” Sullivan told reporters on Sunday.

Biden has said Chinese government subsidies for EVs and other consumer goods ensure that Chinese companies don’t have to turn a profit, giving them an unfair advantage in global trade.

Chinese firms can sell EVs for as little as $12,000. China’s solar cell plants and steel and aluminum mills have enough capacity to meet much of the world’s demand. Chinese officials argue their production keeps prices low and would aid a transition to the green economy.

“We’re doing it in alignment, in parallel, with other economies around the world that recognize that this is a challenge that we are all facing,” Trudeau said of the new tariffs. “Unless we all want to get to a race to the bottom, we have to stand up.”

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said Canada also will launch a 30-day consultation about possible tariffs on Chinese batteries, battery parts, semiconductors, critical minerals, metals and solar panels.

“China has an intentional state-directed policy of overcapacity and oversupply designed to cripple our own industry,” Freeland said. “We simply will not allow that to happen to our EV sector, which has shown such promise.”

The Chinese Embassy said Ottawa disregarded Beijing's repeated objections and said the move will damage trade and economic cooperation.

"This move is typical trade protectionism and politically-motivated decision, which violates the World Trade Organization(WTO) rules and goes against Canada’s traditional image as a global champion for free trade and climate change mitigation,” the embassy said in an emailed statement. “China will take all necessary measures to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises.”

Canada "had to go with the U.S. position, when you think about the economic integration that we have with the U.S. More than 75% of our exports go to the U.S.,” said a former Canadian ambassador to China, Guy Saint-Jacques.

Saint-Jacques said Canada can expect retaliation from China in other industries, adding that barley and pork are candidates because the Chinese can get it from other countries.

“China will want to send a message,” he said.

This story has been corrected to say Tesla is one of the Chinese-made EVs imported into Canada, not the only one.

FILE - Visitors look at the Chinese made BYD ATTO 3 at the IAA motor show in Munich, Germany, on Sept. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader, File)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with reporters during a news conference at the Federal ministers cabinet retreat in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Monday, Aug. 26, 2024. (Kelly Clark/The Canadian Press via AP)