Stellantis signed a memorandum of understanding with Canadian armoured vehicle maker Roshel last week regarding a potential sale of its Brampton, Ontario assembly plant, according to the CBC article. The plant has been idle since 2023, initially intended for retooling to produce the Jeep Compass before the plan was paused in early 2025 and production shifted to the United States. Ontario Premier Doug Ford and federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly have publicly urged Stellantis to locate a new model at the Brampton facility instead of pursuing a sale. Joly told reporters that the federal government wants a new model from Stellantis at the plant and will apply maximum pressure to make it happen, adding that if the automaker does not comply, the government will seek to recover its investment. Ford echoed Joly’s call, stating that the province needs a new model to employ what he described as some of the best auto workers in the world and that Stellantis employs over 11,000 people in Ontario. The article notes that the federal and provincial governments had previously provided Stellantis with a $15‑billion performance incentive contingent on the company fulfilling a production mandate at the Brampton plant. When Stellantis moved Jeep Compass production to the U.S., Ottawa threatened legal action if the automaker did not honour those commitments. Unifor, the union representing workers at the plant, expressed concern that a sale to a non‑automaker could jeopardize more than 2,000 jobs. In a letter dated Wednesday to Joly, Unifor National President Lana Payne wrote that the federal government must do everything possible to prevent such an outcome, calling the Stellantis proposal to sell the plant to a non‑automaker inappropriate and urging fierce resistance. Payne’s letter also noted that the current collective agreement between Stellantis and the union is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. on September 20, and that negotiations are currently at an impasse. CBC News reported that it had reached out to Stellantis for comment but had not received a response at the time of publication.
