‘We want a bigger role in this economy,’ says Roshel Inc. CEO | Hanomansing Live

Stellantis has sold its Brampton assembly plant to Canadian defence technology company Rochelle. More than 2,200 workers were put on a paid layoff when production there stopped back in December of 2023. I'll speak with the CEO of Rochelle in just a moment. But first, Dana Roberts has the latest from the Brampton plant. A lot of questions remain up in the air tonight, Ian. So this news first broke around 4 p.m. Eastern time that Stellantis, the plant behind me, will be sold to Rochelle. As you said, they are a manufacturer of Canadian armored vehicle. They've already got a footprint here in Brampton, employing upwards of 500 people already. Now, it's not a shock that these two sides have been in discussions. We first learned of that a few months ago when an MOU was publicly announced between these two parties, Exploring conversations for the sale of the Brampton Manufacturing Plant, which has been sitting idle since 2023 as you just mentioned. Now there were plans to retool this at some point but that eventually got paused once those auto tariffs went into effect in 2025 and all the production that was slated for here got shifted south. We did hear from Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly earlier in a statement on social media. Here's what she had to say. We 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. All parties must come back to the bargaining table. I've reached out to the representatives from Unifor, Stellantis, the Government of Ontario, and the Brampton plant to convene a meeting later this week. I expect them to come to the table with a single focus, protecting good-paying jobs in Brampton. For Brampton's autoworkers, walking away is not an option. We're unequivocal in our efforts to defend and grow Canada's auto sector in Brampton and across the country. Those sentiments kind of echoed by Premier Doug Ford before this news broke. He just mentioned this morning that he did speak with Stellantis last week, saying he really wants vehicle manufacturing to come here to Brampton. A lot of questions, though, about the future of those workers, Ian. Yeah, and so let's talk more about the workers who might be left unemployed at the end of all of this. That is the biggest question remaining out here, here in Brampton. There's a lot of frustration, a lot of anger being expressed in this city. These workers have been kind of waiting in limbo, hopefully hoping to be recalled at some point. Now, the union, for its part, is calling this a betrayal. Here's a little bit of what they had to say earlier today. 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 auto workers. 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. Calls for the provincial government to step up. We're also getting calls for the federal government to do its part here. I did have a chance to speak with Mayor Patrick Brown of Brampton earlier today. He's calling for support for the workers and says this is bad news for the country's auto sector. Here's what he had to say. If we allow Stellantis to cut and run in Brampton, don't think for a second there's not going to be more of this across the country. You know, this is ground zero for Canadian automotive production. And I worry if we allow Stellantis to run with no consequences, you know, we are really accepting automotive production to leave Canada entirely. And with this, a big question mark over the last few months and really few years here, Ian. We do have Stellantis workers who have been in discussions for a new contract. They voted recently 97% in favour of strike action. With the question mark behind me of the future of this plant, a major sticking point. CBC's Dana Roberts in Brampton. Thank you. Roman Shiminov is CEO of Rochelle, the company that is buying this plant. And Roman joins us now from Brampton. Thank you very much for connecting with us. So much criticism about this deal from politicians, from the union Unifor. What's your reaction to all of this negative reaction? My reaction is very simple. It's very easy to criticize. It's very easy to blame and point fingers. But look at this from another point of view. We have an idle plant for three years. We have a huge demand in Canadian products. We have a huge amount of people that are looking for jobs. And at the same time, everyone is blaming and pointing fingers. Let's not wait for the others to take the initiative. Let's take the initiative ourselves. Let's rely on ourselves as Canadians. Let's create the jobs. Let's build vehicles, not just defense vehicles, but civilian retail vehicles right here in Canada. Let's export. Let's take initiative as Canadians. Let's not rely on others to resolve our problems. And the problem is right there. The problem is that we have a plan for three years idling and nobody is doing anything about it. People are waiting for the brighter future. And here is a Canadian company, 100% Canadian company that is exporting successfully, is taking the initiative, is bringing an European automaker. We got an LOI from a European OEM automaker that is willing to localize their production of vehicles right here in Brampton. So this is exactly the brighter future we're talking about. And it's not just defense. We're not creating a defense plant only. We're not repurposing. We're adding additional options, including a partnership with Stellantis, including a leaseback option. And this is much better than having zero jobs for three years. So I'm not sure what is about, you know, to criticize about. I think it's only bright and great things for Canadian workers, for Canadian employees, for Canadian economy. And that's exactly what Prime Minister Carney is talking about, attracting foreign companies to build right here in Canada. We cannot build without people. We need the people. We need motivated people that want to be a valuable asset, valuable part of this economy. And it cannot happen without infrastructure. And that's why we took the initiative. We need infrastructure. We want to play a bigger role in this economy. And we can do that. We already proved that we can lead one segment and we are doing the same thing in the automotive segment as well. Okay. We have a lot of ground to cover here in a limited amount of time. So I appreciate having you on and I hope we can get through some of these questions relatively quickly. So first of all, what will definitely be built at this plant over the next few years? What will be definitely built? It's very simple. Vehicles. Vehicles. This plant is an automotive plant. There is an equipment that is very unique and specifically designed and installed in order to support a high volume of production of vehicles. And our intent is to continue operating this plant as an automotive plant. And so an automotive plant, you say there's already a deal with a European company. Can you tell us what company that is? I can tell you that it's a European major automaker and we share the LOI with the government as well. And this LOI is very serious and it's not a deal, it's an LOI. And definitely in order for us to commit to the company, we need to be able to get an access first and then we can secure it. So obviously you cannot commit to anyone before you have the commitment. So once we take the possession, once we complete the transaction, We'll definitely ensure that we'll be able to open up additional opportunities, not just for foreign companies, but for local companies as well that are looking for additional footprint and production, not just in the automotive, but in defense as well. We're not limiting this plant to be operating in automotive only, but in defense as well, but all around vehicles, armored or unarmored. A letter of intent is an LOI. I feel like if you were making a pitch to Dragon's Den, they would tell you, LOI doesn't mean anything. There's no guarantee that that deal will go through. What would you say to them? I would say that it's very easy to say that it means nothing. But rather than sitting on a sofa and waiting for somebody to address the problems, we're taking the initiative, we're taking the risk, we're investing in Canada, we're creating jobs, and we're not doing it for the first time. OK, two more quick questions for you. First of all, in terms of the numbers of employees, if things work out the way you hope it will. So making military vehicles, you know, ending up having a deal with the European automaker, maybe also getting some North American based automakers, maybe Stellantis to do some work out of that plant. If it if it goes according to your plan, what will the workforce be in terms of numbers compared to what it was? With Stellantis before the shutdown. Yeah, we're not taking over responsibilities or obligations that Stellantis made in the past. We are not a part of any of this discussion between Unifor or Stellantis. But in our own plants, with defense, with automotive, and with other OEMs that are looking to localize and produce goods in Canada, we're talking about thousands of jobs. We're not talking about hundreds, but we're talking about thousands of jobs. Now, it's in our best interest to utilize this plant as much as we can. And there is no point to buy a plant with millions of square foot and without the ability to utilize it entirely. So our goal is to employ thousands of people and we'll definitely give the first priority to Brampton people. We're already in Brampton, that's the reason why we chose this city. This city has a unique and exclusive and amazing access to skilled labor and Brampton is known for the access to highways. And that's the reason why we're here. There are so many advantages, proximity to the airport and other advantages that we definitely want to use in order to leverage our footprint, not just in Canada, not just for domestic needs, but for international, global export capabilities as well. And it's not limited to automotive. We're talking about defense. And Canada is lucky to be the only non-European member in the SAFE program. We're now EU-associated member. We have a lot of opportunities for European allies. They need us. And we also give awards to European companies that are looking to localize the production here. So we need to prepare the infrastructure. And in terms of wages, that Unifor is unhappy may suggest that they're concerned about their members not getting hired here, at least not members of the union, but more in terms of what the wages and benefits will be. Will your workers' wages and benefits, how will they compare to what Unifor members were getting at Stellantis? I cannot comment on anything when it comes to Unifor. We don't have any comments on that, but I can tell you that wages of Rochelle are competitive. And in order for a company to be successful and sustainable, we need to be competitive as well. And it's in the best interest of the employees to have a company that is competitive and not forced to do things that That is basically. against of the economics of the of the basics of economics and Rochelle is intending to to ensure that we'll remain competitive and we will allow people to grow financially professionally and not just for domestic but for international needs as well right here in Canada by Canadians and for Canadian economy as well One last question, super short question. I think the answer can be short as well. If things go according to plan, when will the assembly line start rolling again? It depends on many factors, but we are ready to start yesterday. I really appreciate you speaking to us tonight and doing this live interview. And I'm sure a lot of people are kind of learning a lot listening to your answers. Roman Shimanov, CEO of Rochelle, the buyer of the Stellantis plant in Brampton. Thank you. Thank you.