Federal, provincial officials in Windsor for a 'significant' automotive announcement
CBC
Federal and provincial government officials will be in Windsor to make an announcement on Wednesday, following reports that the region will be selected as the site for a new electric vehicle battery plant.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford will be among those in attendance.
In a media release, government officials said a significant announcement about jobs, the future of the auto sector and the "zero-emission economy of tomorrow" would be made, but no further details were provided.
A source who spoke to CBC last week, however, indicated that an electric vehicle battery plant for Windsor-Essex is expected to be announced on Wednesday.
The source confirmed a story from Bloomberg, which first reported that automaker Stellantis — formerly known as Fiat Chrysler — and LG Energy Solution have selected a site in Ontario for the project.
In October, Stellantis announced it had formed a partnership with LG to build a battery plant in North America, with construction slated to start later this year. The location was "under review" at the time, the company said.
Ahead of the announcement, the prospect of an electric vehicle battery plant being built in Windsor is sparking optimism about what it could mean for the region.
"This will put us on the map, not just here in North America, but globally," said Rakesh Naidu, president and CEO of the Windsor-Essex Regional Chamber of Commerce. "There'll be a recognition of what Windsor-Essex can do in terms of not just how good we are in the conventional auto sector, but also in terms of the the new generation of auto technologies, and the new ... EVs sector."
Yvonne Pilon, president and CEO of WEtech Alliance, said she thinks the project would be great for talent retention and start up development in the region.
"There is a lot of technology in the electric vehicle, electric batteries, so from a start up perspective, we look at what this will mean for new companies coming to the region, new companies starting based on, again, a diversified and different supply chain," she said.
"When you think about the different levels of talent needed to power this new industry, a lot of tech talent, software engineers, software developers."
Automotive journalist Kay Lane said Windsor would be a good choice for an EV battery plant for a number of reasons.
"Location, even the source of electricity that it uses," she said. "It's a clean power supply, so it's very reliable."
"They were they were looking for somewhere with zero carbon-emitting sources," Lane said.
The NDP leadership race could be turning into a nail-biter with no clear winner in sight. But it's unclear if Canadians are tuning in.
As the prime minister gears up to visit China, his parliamentary secretary, MP Kody Blois, says Mark Carney would like to "recalibrate" Canada's once-frosty relationship with the Chinese government and look at economic opportunities for the two nations.
Ontario appears set to push ahead with a ban on declawing cats and debarking and ear cropping dogs, a move animal welfare advocates say is years overdue and doesn’t go far enough.
If you’ve ever wanted to groove to music while drinking coffee, the Kitchener Downtown BIA has you covered this winter.
Iranian Montrealers rallied in the downtown core Saturday afternoon in a show of support for the people of Iran.
A Manitoba judge says Natural Resources Minister Ian Bushie must reconsider granting permits to a company that's no longer allowed to take tourists to see polar bears in large tundra vehicles east of Churchill.
Some people from a northern Saskatchewan reserve were left without phone landline and internet services for weeks, and wonder why it took so long for SaskTel to address the issue.
Alberta’s rate cap is deepening financial losses in the province's auto insurance market, industry experts say, as a new report found auto insurers lost more than $1.2 billion in 2024.
Environment and Climate Change Canada says an atmospheric river will take aim at British Columbia's south coast this weekend as heavy rain continues to batter the north coast.
Islanders packed into the temporary location for the Charlottetown Farmers' Market Saturday, marking the first day operating on North River Road in the former Sporting Intentions space.
More than 1,000 demonstrators gathered in Richmond Hill, Ont., Saturday to show solidarity to protesters in Iran, fighting against the country’s financial collapse and the regime that led to it.
The City of Toronto began its first pothole repair blitz of the year Friday with crews working to fill potholes across the city overnight and into Saturday.
One of the best gifts Cameron Eckert got for Christmas was a sighting of four white-tailed ptarmigan.