GM stops electric commercial van production at Ingersoll, Ont. plant

General Motors says they are ending production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van at the assembly plant in Ingersoll.

Production at the southwestern Ontario plant has been paused since May when GM said demand was slowing in the market of commercial electric vehicles.

GM says the decision does not come as a result of tariffs or trade but a “market-driven response.”

The company confirmed that this means the BrightDrop vehicles will no longer be made. Putting an end to a vehicle once thought to be Ontario’s place at the table in the growing electric-vehicle industry.

This is the second hit for the Ontario industry in less than a week. Last week it was Stellantis announcing that it’s closing its Brampton plant. This week it’s GM cancelling plans to produce electric-powered vans at its CAMI plant in Ingersoll. That affects close to 1,200 jobs.

The CAMI plant overlooks the 401 in Ingersoll just west of Woodstock, and the mayor says the loss of its jobs is a difficult blow.

“It’s just devastation. You know, this is another announcement in a long string of announcements that have not been good … This is going to affect not only us but the wider range of southwestern Ontario and beyond,” said Brian Petrie, the mayor of Ingersoll.

General Motors is cancelling plans to build its BrightDrop electric delivery van in the plant. It says the problem is the van is not selling well. Production was already suspended earlier this year.

Now GM says the CAMI plant will not start up again as scheduled, and it won’t be calling back about 1,200 workers.

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The CAMI plant was due to open next month with one shift producing the electric van.

“This morning we got a call from General Motors. The premier and I spoke with the president of General Motors,” said Vic Fideli, Ontario’s economic development minister.

Provincial and federal governments have provided millions in support for the CAMI plant over the years.

And Fideli says they’re going over the agreements with GM to see what can be done.

“There are consequences for these companies. We have contracts with them,” said Fideli.

But following the Stellantis closure last week, there’s new concern about the health of the Ontario auto industry in the face of tariffs, and uncertainty created by U.S. President Donald Trump.

“The real point is, this assault on the Canadian auto sector has to stop,” said Fideli.

The union representing CAMI employees says Canada has to fight for the future of the plant and the industry.

“What we are seeing right now is the floodgates have burst. And we have to, as a country, stand up and say we are going to defend the industrial economy of Canada,” said Unifor President Lana Payne.

Federal Industry Minister Melanie Joly says they’re focused on getting the CAMI plant going again.

“We need to make sure that we fight for these jobs, that there are new models coming back to Ingersoll, and that GM has a bright future here in Canada,” said Joly.

Ingersoll’s mayor is holding on to hope the plant will re-open.

“We’re hoping that this is the bottom and that we’re going to rebuild a successful future, but unfortunately we just don’t know now,” said Petrie.

And people on the streets of Ingersoll had lots to say about the issue.

“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the economy and things in general and manufacturing, I think. Of course we’ve got issues from across the border and things going on,” said one man.

“We’ve got Christmas time coming and things like that. How do people run their household budgets and things like that? But I think it’s all tied to probably tariffs and all of this stuff that’s going on with our neighbours,” said another man.

There’s a lot of concern that the real issue affecting Ontario’s auto industry is the uncertainty created by Trump, with the province calling on the federal government to use whatever tools it has available to protect auto-making and its jobs.

It is unclear what this means for the plant in the future but the BrightDrop vans are the last vehicle to be built at this plant.

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