"Ontario's Future As A World Leader in Electric Vehicle Production Takes A Major Blow." May 15, 2023 Canadian News Commentary

Stellantis halts construction of their Windsor EV battery production operation

Premier Doug Ford’s vision of making Ontario a world leader in the upcoming Electric Vehicle boom took a serious hit last week. because they say that the Federal government has not delivered on its part of the deal.

If you think that means they want more money, you would be correct!

Our Federal and Provincial governments were over-the-moon happy when Stellantis chose Windsor for this new plant, but a lot has changed since the deal was struck.

Electric Vehicle charging stations. Image: Fahroni by Getty Images, Sourced on Canva Pro

First of all, the Biden administration passed their Inflation Reduction Bill, which  gives companies like Stellantis access to billions of dollars worth of incentives if they locate in America.

And then, there’s the Volkswagen deal that the Feds and the Province bankrolled with some lucrative payouts to Volkswagen once production begins.

So, to the surprise of no one, Stellantis wants a revised deal with the Canadian government that has some of that backend cash flowing to Stellantis too, or they may pull out of the Windsor deal altogether 

Is Stellantis playing a high stakes corporate shakedown with the government?

You might call it that, but Stellantis will just argue that’s the way things are done in the business big leagues, and if Canada really wants to be a player in a revamped auto industry, we’re going to have to ante up, or shut up.

PS: Remember when Premier Ford first took office, he cancelled the Province’s EV rebate program, scrapped EV requirements in the Ontario building code and removed public charging stations?

More Reading:

Doug Ford’s inaction on electric vehicles leaves Ontarians paying the price with their health (2022)

"By ripping down electric vehicle charging stations that are already installed, Doug Ford is dragging Ontario backward and burning money," wrote NDP climate change critic Peter Tabuns in a statement. (2019)