Ingersoll GM plant shutdown: 500 layoffs imminent

There will be a shutdown of the GM CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont. with hundreds of layoffs to come. CTV London’s Gerry Dewan reports.

There will be a shutdown of the GM CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont. with hundreds of layoffs to come.

According to Unifor, GM has informed Local 88, which represents the workers, that it will will initiate temporary layoffs.

The company said the decision to halt production is not related to U.S. tariffs but rather market demand and high inventory for the BrightDrop vehicle.

Statement from General Motors

“General Motors is making operational and employment adjustments to balance inventory and align production schedules with current demand. GM remains committed to the future of BrightDrop and the CAMI plant and will support employees through the transition... This adjustment is directly related to responding to market demand and re-balancing inventory. Production of BrightDrop and EV battery assembly will remain at CAMI”

Unifor said the layoffs will start April 14 with workers returning in May for limited production.

After that, production will temporarily cease with operations idling until October.

During the downtime, the union said GM plans to complete retooling work to prepare the facility for production of the 2026 model year of commercial electric vehicles.

According to the union, which represents 1,200 workers at the plant, when production resumes in October, the plant will operate on a single shift for the foreseeable future — a reduction that is expected to result in the indefinite layoff of nearly 500 workers.

“This is a crushing blow to hundreds of working families in Ingersoll and the surrounding region who depend on this plant,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “General Motors must do everything in its power to mitigate job loss during this downturn, and all levels of government must step up to support Canadian auto workers and Canadian-made products.”

GM began BrightDrop production at the CAMI facility in early 2023.

In September, workers at CAMI voted on a new two-year contract that included wage increases, new paid holidays and signing bonuses. The contract is set to expire in September 2026.

In a statement posted to social media, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said, “I am incredibly saddened by the layoffs at the GM CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll. This morning, I spoke with Unifor Local 88 GM Plant Chairperson Mike Van Boekel and expressed my commitment to protect Canadian auto workers.”

Speaking to CTV News from a meeting in Markham, Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling agencies like Canada Post to order more of the electric vans the plant makes.

On Thursday, General Motors announced it was laying off some 200 workers at its all-electric facility in Detroit, MI.

The company said those layoffs were being made, “to align with market dynamics.”

The Detroit factory, which employs about 4,500 people, is home to the Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Hummer EV SUV and pickup and all-electric Escalade IQ.

— with files from Reuters