Canada North Vehicles drive to enhance auto sector in Ontario

New Tecumseth Mayor Richard Norcross announced a new initiative, Canada North Vehicles, to showcase Canadian-made vehicles.

After Honda announced they would be pulling the plug on an electric vehicle plant in Alliston, meaning more than 1,000 jobs would now not be coming to the region, New Tecumseth Mayor Richard Norcross told media there would be plans to help the auto-sector in the coming weeks and on Thursday he did just that.

The Simcoe County Auto Mayors are showing the province and the country they want to work things out, signing a letter showing intent to have a meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney regarding the auto sector not only in Ontario, but Canada-wide.

“People don’t know where the cars are built, but the standards, the safety standards, the quality of cars in Canada is, in my opinion, higher than anywhere else in the world,” said Norcross.

Part of Canada North Vehicles is to showcase the quality and craftsmanship behind the work of thousands of people in the auto sector in Simcoe County.

“Many parts come from Canada, they are built here in Canada, the quality is the best that they can do,” said Norcross. “And every safety feature that is known put in that vehicle. The list is endless, but we need some expertise, to work through that.”

Nine other local mayors signed a letter requesting a meeting with both the provincial and federal governments to address the issues the auto sector has recently faced.

“There’s so many people from across the county that work for either Honda or work for one of the affiliates, or have a family member that does,” said Innisfil Mayor Lynn Dollin. “So it’s important to keep these good jobs close.”

Dollin wants to invest in the next generation of workers in New Tecumseth.

“The greatest export out of New Tecumseh, Simcoe County, was our children,” Dollin said. “They had to leave for good paying jobs. They had to leave for post-secondary. We’re changing that. We want to keep them here. And we’ve got to have great paying jobs, and we’ve got to have opportunities for them. This is going to make that happen.”

The letter has been signed and mayors will be sending it to Queens Park and Parliament Hill.