The news dropped like a tonne of bricks this morning and quickly spread throughout town after General Motors announced its ending production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van in Ingersoll, Ont. The company says the decision is related to low demand for the product, and it won’t be moved elsewhere. Hundreds of workers were expecting to go back to work in November when the plant was set to resume production, but now that’s all being scrapped. Ingersoll’s mayor, Brian Petrie says he’s “devastated and overwhelmed. I think that’ll be shared throughout the community. This is something that… this is a worst-case scenario, having the production ceased of the BrightDrop. Yeah, it’s not a good day in town here at all." A statement from GM said the decision to end production in no way reflects the commitment and skill of the workforce at CAMI. The company also cites a changing regulatory environment and the elimination of tax credits in the United States, which made business even more challenging. Speaking on GM’s 2025 Q3 earnings conference call on Tuesday morning, CEO Mara Barra said, “We have decided to stop BrightDrop production at CAMI Assembly and asses the site for future opportunities. This is not a decision we made lightly because of the impact on our employees.” There was no indication in terms of what the future opportunities may be. Over 1,100 unionized employees worked at the plant, with production suspended since May. About 400 were expected to return to work next month, with the plant operating at one shift. “We got a lot of families in there. Husbands and wives, partners, everyone’s in their working and now it’s been kind of pulled out from underneath their feet,” said Mike Van Boekel, Unifor Local 88 Plant Chair. In response to the news, local NDP MPPs say they stand with CAMI workers. A statement released by Terence Kernaghan, Peggy Satler and Teresa Armstrong said, “These workers did everything that was asked of them. They retooled, adapted and embraced the shift toward clean vehicle manufacturing... The Ford government promised that Ontario would lead the future of EV production, yet once again, we’re seeing jobs vanish and communities left behind.” Van Boekel says the closure is 100 per cent political. “The sales have been slow, absolutely. But everyone’s bowing to the guy in the US. He’s trying to get all the production back in the US.” This sentiment echoes a statement from Unifor, National President Lana Payne which says the reality of the situation stems from U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs and the undoing of EV supports. “Now more than 1,000 workers and their families are paying the price for Trump’s political interference and GM’s failure to hold the line,” she said. Not only families, but local businesses who relied on CAMI workers are feeling anxious. “I’m going to have to pivot now, and I’m going to have to be very sympathetic to my current customers,” said Kath Rathburn, owner of Ingersoll Rails House of Brews. The future of the facility remains uncertain. It cost about $2 billion dollars to re-tool the plant back in 2021 to make EVs. About $500 million of that came from Canadian and Ontario tax-payers. Unifor says they will meet with GM and both levels of government “immediately” in order to press for a new product mandate and “ensure” CAMI remains part of Canada’s auto industry.
