Ontario commits to cover 1/3 cost of Stellantis deal, Ford urges feds to close deal
Ontario has committed to paying a third of the cost to save a $5-billion electric vehicle battery plant in Windsor, Ont., premier Doug Ford said Thursday.
The province and the federal government are "inches" away from a deal with automaker Stellantis, he said, but did not provide financial details.
Ford said he has been on the phone with the federal government and Stellantis over the last several days in an effort to finish the deal.
He said the province has stepped up in a "huge, huge way" and wants the federal government to do the same for a deal with Stellantis.
"I'm urging them to do what's necessary to secure this," Ford said Thursday.
Negotiations have been underway between the federal government, Ontario, Stellantis and LG Energy Solution after the companies paused construction on their planned factory in a dispute over federal subsidies.
Earlier in the day, Stellantis spokeswoman LouAnn Gosselin said the company "to date has not received an official response from its previously sent letters" about a potential deal.
She did not provide further details.
Ford said details of what the governments are giving Stellantis will become public after a deal is completed.
The negotiations have been stuck between what Canada thinks is fair and affordable and what the company believes it is due.
Stellantis has threatened to move the plant out of Windsor if it doesn't get what it says it was promised by the federal government in an agreement reached in February.
Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Wednesday they were getting close to a deal.
Champagne said he made an offer similar to what the federal government and Ontario gave Volkswagen for an electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, Ont.
That deal could be worth up to $13 billion over 10 years.
Stellantis and LG Energy Solution announced their plans to build the facility in March 2022. The federal and provincial governments pledged $1 billion as capital for the project.
But the United States changed the landscape last summer when it announced new production tax credits for EV battery makers as part of the Inflation Reduction Agreement.
That prompted the companies to ask for more government support.
Ford spent some time Thursday trying to quell fears the deal could collapse.
"I know everyone's anxious for the deal and I am as well," Ford said.
He said he's been in constant contact of late with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's office, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Champagne.
"We're going to get this deal done," Ford said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 1, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Alice Munro, Nobel literature winner revered as short story master, dead at 92
Nobel laureate Alice Munro, the Canadian literary giant who became one of the world's most esteemed contemporary authors and one of history's most honoured short story writers, has died at age 92.
Latest updates on air quality alerts, and when the smoke may reach Ontario and Quebec
Wildfires have led Environment Canada to issue air quality advisories for parts of B.C., Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories, as forecasters warn the smoke could drift farther east.
Maximum payout for LifeLabs class-action drops from $150 estimate to $7.86
Canadian LifeLabs customers who filed an application for a class-action settlement began receiving their payments this week, though at a much lower amount than initially expected.
1 killed, 3 injured in head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
Ontario Provincial Police are responding to a fatal collision involving two vehicles on Highway 417 in Ottawa's west end on Tuesday morning.
Are these Canada's best restaurants? Annual top 100 list revealed
The annual list of Canada's top restaurants in the country was just released and here are the places that made the 2024 cut.
Significant police presence as Israeli flag flies at Ottawa City Hall
The Israeli flag is flying at Ottawa City Hall today to mark the country's national day, with plans to hold a private ceremony to mark Israel's Independence Day. There is a significant police presence at City Hall, including security barriers outside the main doors.
Steal a car, lose your driver's licence for 10 years under new Ontario proposal
Repeat car thieves may face lengthy licence bans under proposed changes to Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act.
8 dead, at least 40 injured as farmworkers' bus overturns in central Florida
A bus carrying farmworkers in central Florida overturned on Tuesday, killing eight people and injuring about 40 other passengers, authorities said.
Attack on prison van in France kills 2 officers, inmate escapes
Armed assailants killed two French prison officers and seriously wounded three others in an attack on a convoy in Normandy on Tuesday and an inmate escaped, officials said.