The City of Oshawa is celebrating yesterday’s announcement that will see General Motors planning to invest up to $1.3 billion to bring pickup truck production back to the Oshawa Assembly Plant along with the hiring of over 1,700 hourly workers.
It is also expected to have a positive impact on employment at feeder plants in Durham Region, said a city statement.
“On behalf of the City of Oshawa, we are thrilled with GM’s announcement that it is investing $1.3 billion to reopen the Oshawa Assembly plant and bring quality jobs back to our great city,” said Oshawa Mayor Dan Carter. “Construction is to begin immediately and will position Oshawa as GM’s global assembly plant for its best-selling vehicles – heavy-duty and light-duty trucks.”
“General Motors has been an integral part of the Oshawa community for more than 100 years. The quality work from generations of Oshawa GM workers has shaped our city for more than a century and with today’s announcement that legacy will continue for years to come,” continued Mayor Carter.
Construction will begin immediately at the Oshawa Assembly Plant and will include a new body shop and flexible assembly module to support customer demand for GM’s new family of pickup trucks. Oshawa pickup truck production is targeted to begin in January 2022. Pickups are GM’s largest, most important and popular market segment in Canada and across the continent. They also help GM transition to electric and autonomous vehicle production and advanced vehicle technologies.
These new investments will come in addition to GM’s other recent investments in Oshawa. In May 2019, GM released plans to invest $170 million in its Canadian operations. The investment included the McLaughlin Advanced Technology Track in Oshawa for autonomous vehicles. The testing facility and track, the first in Canada’s automotive industry, is expected to be complete later this year with a grand opening planned for spring 2021. Other investments in Oshawa include the ongoing expansion of GM’s Canadian Technology Centre, and GM Canada’s ongoing work to manufacture 10 million face masks for the Government of Canada.
“The city greatly values its ongoing partnerships with Unifor and GM Canada. We thank them and their senior leaders for collaborating and continuing discussions, particularly during the last two years. Thank you for believing and investing in Oshawa’s productive, innovative and high-quality workforce,” added Mayor Carter. “This is a bright future for our community, as well as for the automotive sector in Ontario and Canada.”
Chair Henry welcomes major GM investment
John Henry, Regional Chair and Chief Executive Officer for the Regional Municipality of Durham, said the tentative agreement between GM Canada and Unifor is very welcome news for the residents and families of Oshawa and across Durham Region.
“I am thrilled to say that this tentative agreement aims to bring an estimated $1 billion to $1.3 billion investment and 1,400 to 1,700 hourly jobs back to Oshawa.
“Durham Region’s automotive sector has been at the forefront of innovation for over a century, continuously innovating with advanced new solutions. With the investment announced today, combined with GM’s new Autonomous Vehicle Test Track, GM and Unifor have made it clear they intend to grow and maintain their position as key players in advanced mobility in Ontario.”
Henry said drawing on Durham’s longstanding excellence in automotive manufacturing and energy innovation, these plans help Durham to continue to be a leader in the next generation of mobility — developing a path forwards towards electric and autonomous mobility. Durham’s advanced mobility community includes the Autonomous Vehicle Innovation Network, Ontario Tech University’s Climatic Wind Tunnel, and a variety of connected and autonomous technology companies.
“We look forward to seeing the positive economic impacts that this major investment will have on Durham Region in the years to come,” he added.
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