Stellantis, governments reach deal on Windsor battery plant construction

Automaker Stellantis has reached an agreement with the federal and Ontario governments on the construction of a planned electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor.

Automaker Stellantis has reached an agreement with the federal and Ontario governments on the construction of a planned electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor.

Stellantis and LG Energy Solution said Wednesday the construction of their plant, called NextStar Energy, would resume immediately after they reached a "binding" financing deal with the governments of Canada and Ontario.

Unifor, which represents unionized workers at Stellantis, said in a statement Wednesday that it welcomes the agreement to resume the plant's construction.

"We knew the high stakes. We knew these commitments had to be kept because the alternative would have been unthinkable for so many workers," Unifor National president Lana Payne said.

"I know what resonated with all parties was the persistent message from our union that thousands upon thousands of workers' livelihoods were hanging in the balance throughout this dispute."

Payne also thanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and the company "for reaching this important conclusion and taking the necessary action to secure the Stellantis production footprint in Canada."

In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry Francois-Philippe Champagne also confirmed that an agreement had been reached.