Ford and Joly Press Stellantis Over Brampton Plant Sale
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Ontario and federal officials demand a new vehicle model as the automaker signs a potential sale agreement with armored vehicle maker Roshel.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly are calling on Stellantis to produce a new vehicle model at its idled Brampton, Ont., assembly plant. The push comes after Stellantis announced last Friday that it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Roshel, a Canadian armored vehicle maker, regarding a potential sale of the facility.
According to CBC Toronto, the Brampton plant has been idle since 2023. While originally slated for Jeep Compass production, Stellantis paused those plans in early 2025 and moved production of the model to the U.S. This move prompted the federal government to threaten legal action over a $15-billion performance incentive agreement between Ottawa, Ontario, and the automaker. Joly told reporters Wednesday that Ottawa will apply "maximum pressure" for a new model, stating that if Stellantis fails to deliver, the government will "get our money back."
The potential sale has drawn sharp criticism from Unifor. In a letter to Joly, Unifor National President Lana Payne described the proposal to sell to a non-automaker as a "disaster-scenario" that would abandon vehicle production and impact more than 2,000 workers. Payne noted that collective bargaining between the union and Stellantis is currently at an impasse, with the current agreement set to expire Sept. 20.
Conversely, Stellantis Canada CEO Trevor Longley stated last week that Roshel offers a "strong path to restoring sustainable operations." Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said the company intends to create a Canadian Centre of Excellence for Defence Manufacturing in Brampton and aims to bring back over 2,000 jobs as early as 2026 through automotive and defense opportunities, including the federal government's Light Utility Vehicles procurement program.