'Gigafactory' in St. Thomas good news for Windsor-Essex, stakeholders say
CTV
With Volkswagen poised to put a so-called 'gigafactory' in St. Thomas, Ont., some raised questions over whether that might detract from Windsor-Essex’s auto mobility aspirations — but stakeholders say fear not.
With Volkswagen poised to put a so-called “gigafactory” in St. Thomas, Ont., some raised questions over whether that might detract from Windsor-Essex’s auto mobility aspirations — but stakeholders say fear not.
Stephen MacKenzie, president and CEO of Invest WindsorEssex says the announcement is good for the region as a whole, Windsor-Essex included.
“It’s a wonderful, wonderful win for all of us,” he says.
MacKenzie says a majority of the work leading up to the planned 2024 opening of the NextStar battery plant in Windsor has revolved around attracting suppliers who might want to set up shop close to the facility.
He says having another large EV battery plant just hours up the highway only makes that an easier sell.
“There's lots of opportunities for those companies to set up between us,” MacKenzie says.
Both plants signal a change in tide for the region’s relationship with vehicle manufacturing, according to MacKenzie. A relationship going back about a century, but with a complicated past few decades.
