Roshel to buy Stellantis assembly plant in Brampton for undisclosed amount, companies say

Stellantis has reached an agreement to sell the Brampton Assembly Plant to Canadian armoured vehicle maker Rochelle. More than 2,000 workers were laid off when production was put on hold in December 2023. Dana Roberts from our CBC Peel Bureau joins us now from Brampton with more. So, Dana, what can you tell us? Well Dwight, there are a lot of questions surrounding this announcement made within just the last few hours. Many people here in Brampton certainly on edge tonight. We are learning that Rochelle is going to be purchasing the Stellantis assembly plant here in Brampton. Now what this means moving forward for the impacted workers, for the plant itself, what exactly is going to transpire, all of that still needs to be discovered here. So this, the two sides first reached an MOU back in September. So this has been ongoing for the last couple of months. We kind of heard tidbits over the weekend that we were expecting something to come this week. We have been hearing reaction from many leaders today, including the union within the last few hours. So this goes back a couple of years, over 2000 employees have been laid off since 2023. The plant was going to be retooled to sell different vehicles here. But then that didn't happen. They had federal subsidies, Then tariffs went into effect. in early 2025 and all the production moves south. The union is calling this announcement a betrayal. Here's a little bit of what they had to say. Stellantis has disrespected our members and our union. This is complete shameful and disgusting behavior by Stellantis. What we've learned since August is that a lot has happened behind the scenes about the future of our plant without us at the table. And a lot of promises were being made by governments to fight for this industry And fight for autoworkers. Right now in Brampton, there is anger and feelings of betrayal. The feeling that the deck is stacked against us. And that's a terrible feeling. But I can say one thing. This fight isn't over. We need our city government to make good on its promise to rezone our plant strictly for automotive assembly. And we need the provincial government to assist in that as well. There are calls coming tonight for the federal government to take a tough stance here. Obviously, hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money has been funneled into this facility over the years. Industry Minister Melanie Jolie has put out a statement within the last couple of hours. Here's what she has to say on this matter here. Industry Minister Mélanie Joly, of course, is intricately involved in this. And she's calling for all parties to get to the table here, saying the decision does not erase the commitments they made to workers in Brampton. They remain focused on finding solutions for the more than 2,000 affected workers and their families. They deserve answers, respect, and above all, a secure future. And she goes on to their call for a meeting of all sides. Of course, this is bringing these Stellantis negotiations nationwide to a bit of a halt. All sides here Expressing frustration, the premier earlier today saying he wants to see vehicles here. I had a chance to speak with Mayor Patrick Brown a few moments ago. He's basically echoing the statement from Minister Joly Dwight saying that he's hoping for a tough stance here. What that will be and how many workers may get employed here. All yet to be determined. We did hear in the statement earlier that it is expected, the sale is expected to be concluded by the end of this year. Reporting live in Brampton, I'm Dana Roberts. We'll send it back to you, Dwight. Thank you for this breaking news, Dana.