Brampton’s Chrysler Facility Set to Receive Massive Investment
Published February 21, 2017 at 5:38 am
When one door closes, another one opens.
When one door closes, another one opens.
Recently, Brampton was rocked by disheartening (if not totally unexpected) news when residents and officials learned that the long-standing Bacardi facility will be shutting down and laying off 51 employees.
While that revelation put a damper on the long weekend, some good news regarding industry in the city recently came to light.
According to a recent Canadian Press article, the big three powerhouse North American automakers (Ford, General Motors and Chrysler) intend to follow through on their collective bargaining committment to invest $1.5 billion into their Canadian operations.
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The news is incredibly welcome, especially in light of some of the hardline protectionist rhetoric emanating from the Trump administration in the U.S.
The CP reports that Fiat Chrysler is committed to investing $325 million in funding to its Brampton facility and $6.4 million in its Toronto operations.
Ford’s Ontario facilities can expect to see an investment of $700 million and GM is injecting its Ontario operations with $554 million
“You have no idea how proud I am when I listened to the Canadian heads of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler saying that they are living up to their commitment regardless of what Trump is saying,” Jerry Dias, president of Unifor (the union for the big three automakers) said Friday in a speech before the Automotive News Canada Congress, as reported by The CP. “It’s a symbol that the industry is turning the corner. It’s here to stay.”
Residents concerned about the city’s economic prowess and employers at the Chrysler facility were no doubt relieved to hear that the establishment is set to receive generous funding.
Interestingly enough, the news about the recently announced Bacardi closure was quite jarring in light of the fact that the federal and provincial governments announced that they were investing $350,000 in the plant as recently as May of 2016.
The investment was intended to help the rum maker upgrade equipment and design new packaging and labels.
Once bottling more than seven million litres of rum each year, the Brampton plant shipped the liquor to markets across Canada.
But while $350,000 isn’t chump change, it’s certainly not $325 million.
Workers are no doubt relieved to hear the news, especially in light of Trump’s emphasis on American protectionism.
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