Verge of a Stellantis battery plant deal? Politicians and leaders weigh in
Windsor-Tecumseh MP Irek Kusmierczyk used a basketball analogy to describe where negotiations stand between the Liberals and Stellantis and guaranteed a Game 7 win.
“We want the ball and you will see we will have a battery plant. We will have an agreement,” said Kusmierczyk.
It's a clutch statement but the winning play has yet to be executed.
Kusmierczyk says the x’s and o's are still being negotiated but the inbound play is coming.
“We just wanna make sure that we get the best deal for our community,” Kusmierczyk said from Ottawa. “We want to make sure we get the best deal for Canada and I'm very confident that we're at those final last strokes.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford was in Essex-County Thursday and made a point to visit Unifor Local 444 president Dave Cassidy at his office.
“Everybody's on board. I know everybody's trying to negotiate a little bit of the piece and I need all parties to come together and make sure that whole piece fits so that we can get this deal across the line.”
After his chat with Premier Ford, Cassidy feels the deal is a slam dunk.
“We are going to get this across the line,” he said.
How close is the deal to crossing that line?
Ford told a gathering this morning at Liuna 625! the deal is inches away.
“We do expect that agreement to come very soon,” Kusmierczyk said.
Stephen MacKenzie is optimistic, “but I'm anxious and like to get this across the finish line.”
The Invest Windsor Essex CEO feels a deal that crosses the finish line could open the door for spin off opportunities.
“To have this uncertainty removed will hopefully clear the way for us to help finalize some of those deals,” MacKenzie said.
Some of the deals in the pipeline amount to billions of dollars.
“Let's get this wrapped up and that'll help our team close another billion dollars of deals that will account for another thousand jobs for our residents,” he said.
Kusmierczyk feels a deal will be this region’s championship that people will be talking about, “for decades to come.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.