Up to 900 foreign workers coming to Windsor to help build EV battery plant, NextStar says amid backlash

Amid pushback over plans to use foreign workers, NextStar Energy has confirmed it wants to hire hundreds of technicians from South Korea to help set up the government-subsidized electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ont.

The company said Thursday that, in total, about 1,600 equipment manufacturers from outside suppliers will be assembling, installing and testing the equipment needed to make the batteries, including a "temporary specialized global supplier staff" of around 900, largely from South Korea.

It's the first time the company has commented on how many workers it wants in Canada to work on the project, in the wake of backlash over a social media post shared by Windsor police that suggested the city would be welcoming 1,600 people from South Korea in 2024.

NextStar said the technicians from South Korea have "specific knowledge" of the advanced equipment.

"Upon completion of their work (lasting between three months to a year and a half), they will return home. These are not permanent full-time jobs," the company said in an afternoon statement.

NextStar said these 1,600 temporary jobs to install the equipment are over and above the 2,500 full-time permanent positions for Canadians, and another 1,600 temporary hires from the Canadian workforce to build the plant.

The reports prompted Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre to call for an inquiry into hiring at the plant because of the heavy level of government investment.

The planned facility is the result of a partnership between Stellantis and the South Korean company LG Energy Solution. It will be the first of its kind in Canada — benefiting from $15 billion in tax breaks.

Earlier this week, federal ministers, including François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry, disputed the 1,600-worker figure.

Champagne said he expected "a fairly small number" of foreign workers will be necessary for the launch of the battery plant.

Canada has a free trade deal with South Korea that would allow workers to come to Canada independent of the process around hiring temporary foreign workers.

One industry analyst told CBC News this week that calls for an all-Canadian workforce on project are short-sighted and NextStar Energy's plans are not surprising.

"I think you've got to bring the people that know the technology and are skilled and it's their backgrounds, their wheelhouse that come in, set the stage, make sure everything is ... running smoothly and then hand the keys off," said Joe McCabe, president and chief executive officer of Auto Forecast Solutions.