Town council wants the Oakville Ford Assembly Plant to get into the electric vehicle business.
Council voted during its Sept. 21 meeting to support federal-provincial long-term investment and cooperation in generating electric vehicle production at the local plant.
They also voted to forward their resolution to Ford Motor Company, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford, the union which represents the plant employees and other federal and provincial politicians and representatives.
“Our resolution is a signal to our federal and provincial counterparts that Oakville supports long-term investment in the Ford plant that will strengthen Canada’s auto sector and supply chain,” said Mayor Rob Burton.
“The workers at the Ford plant are the most talented and dedicated workers in the world and their talent combined with the cooperation of all levels of government and Canada’s auto companies will ensure that Canada is a leader in electric vehicle production.”
News recently broke that the federal government had told Ford Motor Company that it was willing to invest $500 million in the Oakville Ford Assembly Plant to finance retooling that will allow the plant to produce electric vehicles.
The Province has reportedly also offered funds to facilitate the switchover.
Burton said both federal and provincial governments confirmed the initiative early Monday.
Ford is currently in bargaining talks with Unifor, the union which represents the plant workers, and declined to say whether it would be accepting the investment offer.
“We look forward to negotiating an agreement with Unifor that will help lead Ford of Canada, our employees and our communities into the future,” said Ford of Canada Communications Manager Rose Pao.
“The details about how we do that will be discussed at the bargaining table, not in the media.”
The federal-provincial investment would mark a significant turning point for the Oakville Assembly Plant.
It was only back in June that industry forecaster AutoForecast Solutions said the plant’s days appeared to be numbered.
They said Ford had scrapped plans to build the next generation Edge SUV in Oakville, which meant that after 2023 there were no plans to build any vehicles at the Oakville plant.
At the time Ford would neither confirm nor deny AutoForecast Solutions’ claims.
The Oakville Ford Assembly Plant employs more than 4,000 people.
“The Ford Motor Company of Canada, its employees, and the Town of Oakville have enjoyed a successful partnership that has benefitted the community and the company since 1953 and employs tens of thousands of Canadians directly and indirectly,” said Burton.
“Investing in new products in the auto sector, such as electric vehicles, will ensure Canada and Ontario are leaders in innovation, job creation and in the green economy.”
