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
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.