'Don’t take your foot off the gas': Windsor mayor says Stellantis deal isn’t done until it’s done
Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkens says reports a deal has been reached to secure the NextStar Energy EV battery plant in the city has him “cautiously optimistic that we’re tracking closer to a solution” — but says don’t get comfortable until it’s confirmed.
“I think the reporting in the Toronto Star is far too premature,” Dilkens says Wednesday evening.
“I won’t have the comfort that I need and I think the rest of the community needs until the federal government and LG and Stellantis come forward saying they have an agreement and construction is going to restart.”
The Toronto Star reported Wednesday afternoon a tentative deal has been reached, citing unnamed government sources.
According to the Star, federal and provincial money would see Stellantis and LG receive more than the $13-billion in subsidies offered to Volkswagen for its planned plant in St. Thomas.
“There is no doubt that this is an expensive proposition,” Dilkens says in response to that report.
“But if Canada wants to be competitive, you have to be able to compete against your biggest trading partner which is the United States – and as the mayor of the auto capital of Canada … think of the spinoff for the community.”
The NextStar plant has been expected to bring more than 3,000 jobs to Windsor-Essex, with Dilkens saying spinoff could amount to nine additional jobs for every one at the factory.
The mayor launched an online petition Friday, asking residents to express their concerns over the stalled construction.
He’s still encouraging residents to sign it, amid the cautious optimism.
“Don’t take your foot off the gas,” says Dilkens.
“We’re talking automotive parlance. Don’t take your foot off the gas until you have a formal announcement from the federal government, from LG and Stellantis that this is a done deal.
“It’s not a done deal.”
Dilkens says the duty to reach that deal falls on Ottawa.
“It’s the federal government’s responsibility to get this over the finish line, and I’m hopeful that they’re able to do that ASAP,” he says.
He says Ontario Premier Doug Ford – who’s government offered to increase the $500-million subsidy already offered to Stellantis – has been a great partner.
Ford will be in the Windsor area Thursday, but Dilkens says those announcements are entirely unrelated to the situation.
“I know the premier knows how important this project is to the people of Windsor,” says the mayor.
“He knows how important this is to Ontario and he is committed to us and he’s stepped up when the federal government said we need more money – but ultimately this deal and the finalization of this deal is the responsibility of the federal government to get this over the line with LG and Stellantis and restart construction and ralize this $5-billion investment that is just waiting in the city of Windsor,” Dilkens says.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Centre Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs hasn't been ruled out of tonight's Game 7 against the Boston Bruins.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.