Latest news with #Ingersoll
CTV News
a day ago
- Automotive
- CTV News
Canada's EV market was already in trouble. Tariffs made it worse, workers say
Employee's cars sit in the parking lot at GM's Cami Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., Friday, April 11, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins INGERSOLL — Bob Pulham recalls the optimism in the air when General Motors began producing electric vans in Ingersoll, Ont., in late 2022. As the first BrightDrop commercial van rolled off the line at the CAMI Assembly plant, GM executives, union leaders and former prime minister Justin Trudeau touted it as a major milestone for electric vehicle production in Canada. Pulham, a Unifor representative at the plant, remembers talk of increasing shifts and hiring more people to produce 50,000 such delivery vans annually by 2025. But the sales never picked up, the plant kept slowing down the production line amid sluggish demand and the optimism slowly faded. This April, GM announced it would idle the plant for several months and resume production in October with just one shift. Union members say about half of 1,200 workers at the plant will be gone as a result. 'I feel bad for all 600 that are being laid off. It's a horrible position to be put in,' Pulham said in an interview. 'It's a crazy amount of uncertainty and I think that hurts people.' The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles, but a GM Canada spokesperson said the halt was directly related to lower-than-expected demand for the BrightDrop vans. Pulham, who began working at the CAMI plant more than three decades ago, said his wife has also been laid off and is now pondering whether to go back to school or search for a new job. Several other companies, including Honda, Stellantis, Umicore and Ford have also delayed or scrapped their EV projects amid the slow sales growth and the ongoing trade war. GM Canada said reducing production in Ingersoll was necessary to adjust to market demand and balance inventory. But workers at the CAMI plant say Trump's tariffs made things even worse. They've experienced the industry's ups and downs over the decades, but say this challenge is especially difficult at a time of great economic uncertainty. 'There's a push to build (vehicles) in the U.S., and that has caused a lot of issues over here,' Pulham said. 'So, it's not a good situation.' Mike Van Boekel, the Unifor Local 88 CAMI plant chairperson, said even though workers knew layoffs were on the horizon, the news was still shocking for many. 'It was terrible,' he said. 'I thought we were going to lose a shift. I was worried in the back of my mind … and now it has come true.' GM's ambitious plan to be at the 'forefront of a big wave' of electric delivery van production didn't materialize because the timing was not right, Boekel said. He felt the company was gaining some momentum before the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles. GM had just received an order of a thousand delivery vans from the U.S. grocery chain giant Kroger, he said. 'So, it looked like we were just getting to go and all of a sudden, the tariffs came on,' he said, adding that CAMI workers will still produce Kroger's vans when they return to the factory this fall. Workers aren't the only ones feeling the pain. The ripple effects of layoffs are a source of concern for Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie. The CAMI plant, which spans two million square feet, is the largest employer in the southwestern Ontario town of about 14,000 people. Petrie said Ingersoll expects to receive $1.8 million in municipal taxes from the company this year, which is around 10 per cent of the total levies the town is expected to collect. 'It is devastating because we're not talking about new employees here, either, these are long serving employees and ... they've had a tough road going up to that point,' Petrie said in a recent interview at his office. The federal government under Trudeau set a target of 100 per cent zero-emission sales of light duty vehicles by 2035. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin indicated this week that mandate won't be changing. But that goal seems hard to achieve, Petrie said. 'It's honest to say that I think everybody may have misunderstood the scale of the problem that we're facing to do the EV switch,' he said. 'I think all of them will admit that it's been a bigger problem than they once thought.' Still, he thinks the more than $50 billion in investments that Canada has pledged since 2020 to incentivize the EV supply chain will pay off in the long term. Some provinces, including Manitoba and Quebec, are offering rebates for electric vehicle purchases. B.C.'s rebate program, which was the longest running in the country, was paused last month. Ontario scrapped its rebate program after Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives won the election in 2018. The federal government also halted in January its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program, which offered up to $5,000 off the cost of a new electric vehicle. Dabrusin said Ottawa intends to bring back consumer rebates for EVs, but doesn't yet know what they'll look like. Zero-emissions vehicles represented only 8.7 per cent of all new vehicle sales in Canada in the first quarter of 2025 — a drop from 16.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Canada. The sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids had steadily increased from below one per cent in 2017 to 14.6 in 2024, but experts say the growth hasn't been nearly as fast as many expected. Dan Park, CEO of online used car retailer Clutch, said EV adoption has been slower in Canada because people normally drive long distances in colder temperatures, which reduces battery life by 20 to 40 per cent and slows down the charging speed. 'Canada is just a fundamentally harder market to have,' he said. 'Until technology and battery life is improved to be able to handle colder conditions, I think Canadians will just shy away from it.' Park said EVs make up only five per cent of Clutch's inventory, which is tied to consumer demand. He said consumer rebates and production subsidies 'artificially propped up the market,' and provincial and federal governments should instead invest in a stronger charging infrastructure to encourage more Canadians to adopt EVs. A recent survey by consumer insights firm J.D. Power shows that only 28 per cent of nearly 4,000 respondents said they were 'very likely' or 'somewhat likely' to consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase, down from 29 per cent last year and 34 per cent in 2023. The survey also found that 75 per cent of new vehicle purchasers aren't confident Canada can reach its 2035 zero-emission vehicle sales goal. Manufacturers took note of the lacklustre interest. Honda Canada announced in May that it's postponing a $15-billion EV project in Ontario, citing the 'unexpected slowdown' in the market. Stellantis is postponing the production of an EV model of 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T at its Windsor, Ont., plant as it assesses the effects of U.S. tariffs. And Ford Motor Co. said it will assemble F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks at its Oakville, Ont., plant beginning in 2026 instead of planned electric vehicle production at the site. Despite the setbacks, Environment and Climate Change Canada said it will continue to support investments and innovations in the EV supply chain. Canada's zero-emissions vehicle sales mandates ensure 'Canadians have access to electric vehicles, which offer long-term savings for consumers,' department spokesperson Hermine Landry said in a statement. 'Transportation emissions have declined to levels not seen in decades, demonstrating that we can grow our economy while also fighting climate change,' Landry said. 'It is important to remain focused on the fact that the real threat to the Canadian auto industry right now are the unjustified tariffs from the United States.' Overall, Canadians buy around two million new vehicles annually and the country produces approximately 1.5 million of them, according to Unifor. Autoworkers say the federal government should push for more vehicle production in Canada from manufacturers such as Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and others that don't have any production footprint in the country, to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs. 'It'd be nice, (if) the government stands up for us and you know says to these big companies, 'If you want to sell here, then you need to build here as well,'' said Paul Harvey, who works as a framing team leader at CAMI. Harvey said that although he and his wife will keep their jobs at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, they will both have to work the same hours when production resumes on one shift. With four children at home, that means the couple will need a new child-care plan and increased costs will come with it. Harvey, who has been an autoworker for 20 years, said it would be 'kind of silly' to think that the transition to electric vehicles would happen at the flick of a switch. He said he and his wife remain optimistic about the EV market and that's why they purchased a Chevy Blazer EV just a few weeks ago. 'We're committed to moving into the future with the electrified vehicles,' he said. 'I do believe it will get there eventually.' Article by Sharif Hassan.
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Funding not approved for multi-use rec centre in Ingersoll
Ingersoll's long-awaited multi-use recreation centre has hit a roadblock after the town failed to get provincial funding. The $38 million project has been in the works since 2019. The town recently asked the Ministry of Sport for a $10 million boost, through its Community Sport and Recreation Infrastructure Fund, but their application was not approved. 'It's extremely disappointing and sad that the province failed to see what this funding and project means to our community and our partners,' Mayor Brian Petrie said in a media release. The funding, he explained, would have had a significant impact on advancing local, regional and provincial goals. 'While the town acknowledges that many projects were submitted for funding, it is difficult to understand how such a comprehensive and broadly beneficial initiative did not meet the criteria for support,' the release said. ingersoll mult-use rec centre Rendering of multi-use rec centre. (Youtube/TownofIngersoll) Project details The state-of-the-art facility will be built on the newly-secured 78 acres of land on the southeast edge of the town, near Clarke Road and Harris Street. The acquisition also included a generous donation from Grobrook Farms in 2023. 'Site preparation begins this year, including water, wastewater and utilities,' Michael Graves, Ingersoll's CAO, said in a YouTube video posted to the town's website earlier this year. ingersoll mult-use rec centre Aerial view of the land where the project is set to be built on. (Youtube/TownofIngersoll) The plan for the rec complex included a walking track, gymnasium, single pad arena with an option to double it, multi-purpose hall and community rooms. It was supposed to be completed by spring 2027. The town said it is reviewing how the denial of funds will impact the project's timeline. 'I invite every resident to join me in sharing their disappointment with the province by contacting them and sharing what this decision means for our community,' Petrie said. The town, meanwhile, is committed to advocating for the project and said the facility is needed. Ingersoll is hoping provincial representatives can explore alternative funding sources to maximize the property's potential impact for the community, region and province.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Canada's EV market was already in trouble. Tariffs made it worse, Ontario workers say
INGERSOLL — Bob Pulham recalls the optimism in the air when General Motors began producing electric vans in Ingersoll, Ont., in late 2022. As the first BrightDrop commercial van rolled off the line at the CAMI Assembly plant, GM executives, union leaders and former prime minister Justin Trudeau touted it as a major milestone for electric vehicle production in Canada. Pulham, a Unifor representative at the plant, remembers talk of increasing shifts and hiring more people to produce 50,000 such delivery vans annually by 2025. But the sales never picked up, the plant kept slowing down the production line amid sluggish demand and the optimism slowly faded. This April, GM announced it would idle the plant for several months and resume production in October with just one shift. Union members say about half of 1,200 workers at the plant will be gone as a result. "I feel bad for all 600 that are being laid off. It's a horrible position to be put in," Pulham said in an interview. "It's a crazy amount of uncertainty and I think that hurts people." The announcement came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles, but a GM Canada spokesperson said the halt was directly related to lower-than-expected demand for the BrightDrop vans. Pulham, who began working at the CAMI plant more than three decades ago, said his wife has also been laid off and is now pondering whether to go back to school or search for a new job. Several other companies, including Honda, Stellantis, Umicore and Ford have also delayed or scrapped their EV projects amid the slow sales growth and the ongoing trade war. GM Canada said reducing production in Ingersoll was necessary to adjust to market demand and balance inventory. But workers at the CAMI plant say Trump's tariffs made things even worse. They've experienced the industry's ups and downs over the decades, but say this challenge is especially difficult at a time of great economic uncertainty. "There's a push to build (vehicles) in the U.S., and that has caused a lot of issues over here," Pulham said. "So, it's not a good situation." Mike Van Boekel, the Unifor Local 88 CAMI plant chairperson, said even though workers knew layoffs were on the horizon, the news was still shocking for many. "It was terrible," he said. "I thought we were going to lose a shift. I was worried in the back of my mind … and now it has come true." GM's ambitious plan to be at the "forefront of a big wave" of electric delivery van production didn't materialize because the timing was not right, Boekel said. He felt the company was gaining some momentum before the imposition of 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian-made vehicles. GM had just received an order of a thousand delivery vans from the U.S. grocery chain giant Kroger, he said. "So, it looked like we were just getting to go and all of a sudden, the tariffs came on," he said, adding that CAMI workers will still produce Kroger's vans when they return to the factory this fall. Workers aren't the only ones feeling the pain. The ripple effects of layoffs are a source of concern for Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie. The CAMI plant, which spans two million square feet, is the largest employer in the southwestern Ontario town of about 14,000 people. Petrie said Ingersoll expects to receive $1.8 million in municipal taxes from the company this year, which is around 10 per cent of the total levies the town is expected to collect. "It is devastating because we're not talking about new employees here, either, these are long serving employees and ... they've had a tough road going up to that point," Petrie said in a recent interview at his office. The federal government under Trudeau set a target of 100 per cent zero-emission sales of light duty vehicles by 2035. Environment Minister Julie Dabrusin indicated this week that mandate won't be changing. But that goal seems hard to achieve, Petrie said. "It's honest to say that I think everybody may have misunderstood the scale of the problem that we're facing to do the EV switch," he said. "I think all of them will admit that it's been a bigger problem than they once thought." Still, he thinks the more than $50 billion in investments that Canada has pledged since 2020 to incentivize the EV supply chain will pay off in the long term. Some provinces, including Manitoba and Quebec, are offering rebates for electric vehicle purchases. B.C.'s rebate program, which was the longest running in the country, was paused last month. Ontario scrapped its rebate program after Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives won the election in 2018. The federal government also halted in January its Incentives for Zero-Emission Vehicles program, which offered up to $5,000 off the cost of a new electric vehicle. Dabrusin said Ottawa intends to bring back consumer rebates for EVs, but doesn't yet know what they'll look like. Zero-emissions vehicles represented only 8.7 per cent of all new vehicle sales in Canada in the first quarter of 2025 — a drop from 16.5 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2024, according to data from Statistics Canada. The sales of EVs and plug-in hybrids had steadily increased from below one per cent in 2017 to 14.6 in 2024, but experts say the growth hasn't been nearly as fast as many expected. Dan Park, CEO of online used car retailer Clutch, said EV adoption has been slower in Canada because people normally drive long distances in colder temperatures, which reduces battery life by 20 to 40 per cent and slows down the charging speed. "Canada is just a fundamentally harder market to have," he said. "Until technology and battery life is improved to be able to handle colder conditions, I think Canadians will just shy away from it." Park said EVs make up only five per cent of Clutch's inventory, which is tied to consumer demand. He said consumer rebates and production subsidies "artificially propped up the market," and provincial and federal governments should instead invest in a stronger charging infrastructure to encourage more Canadians to adopt EVs. A recent survey by consumer insights firm J.D. Power shows that only 28 per cent of nearly 4,000 respondents said they were "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to consider an EV for their next vehicle purchase, down from 29 per cent last year and 34 per cent in 2023. The survey also found that 75 per cent of new vehicle purchasers aren't confident Canada can reach its 2035 zero-emission vehicle sales goal. Manufacturers took note of the lacklustre interest. Honda Canada announced in May that it's postponing a $15-billion EV project in Ontario, citing the "unexpected slowdown" in the market. Stellantis is postponing the production of an EV model of 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T at its Windsor, Ont., plant as it assesses the effects of U.S. tariffs. And Ford Motor Co. said it will assemble F-Series Super Duty pickup trucks at its Oakville, Ont., plant beginning in 2026 instead of planned electric vehicle production at the site. Despite the setbacks, Environment and Climate Change Canada said it will continue to support investments and innovations in the EV supply chain. Canada's zero-emissions vehicle sales mandates ensure "Canadians have access to electric vehicles, which offer long-term savings for consumers," department spokesperson Hermine Landry said in a statement. "Transportation emissions have declined to levels not seen in decades, demonstrating that we can grow our economy while also fighting climate change," Landry said. "It is important to remain focused on the fact that the real threat to the Canadian auto industry right now are the unjustified tariffs from the United States." Overall, Canadians buy around two million new vehicles annually and the country produces approximately 1.5 million of them, according to Unifor. Autoworkers say the federal government should push for more vehicle production in Canada from manufacturers such as Kia, Hyundai, Mitsubishi and others that don't have any production footprint in the country, to offset the impact of U.S. tariffs. "It'd be nice, (if) the government stands up for us and you know says to these big companies, 'If you want to sell here, then you need to build here as well,'" said Paul Harvey, who works as a framing team leader at CAMI. Harvey said that although he and his wife will keep their jobs at the CAMI plant in Ingersoll, they will both have to work the same hours when production resumes on one shift. With four children at home, that means the couple will need a new child-care plan and increased costs will come with it. Harvey, who has been an autoworker for 20 years, said it would be "kind of silly" to think that the transition to electric vehicles would happen at the flick of a switch. He said he and his wife remain optimistic about the EV market and that's why they purchased a Chevy Blazer EV just a few weeks ago. "We're committed to moving into the future with the electrified vehicles," he said. "I do believe it will get there eventually." This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 19, 2025. Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CTV News
09-06-2025
- CTV News
Pedestrian dead after collision with train
The scene of a fatal collision involving a train in Ingersoll, Ont. on June 9, 2025. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) A pedestrian has died after a collision with a train in Ingersoll. Oxford OPP responded to the incident between Mutual Street North and Thames Street South on Monday morning, alerting the public just before 8 a.m. The area is closed for the investigation. Drivers are asked to avoid the area and respect road closures. Anyone who witnessed the collision is asked to contact Oxford OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
CTV News
06-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Potters Field monument to be unveiled in Ingersoll
A monument will be unveiled Saturday at a rural cemetery near Ingersoll revealing the names of hundreds of people buried in unmarked graves. Amidst the rows of headstones in the Ingersoll Rural Cemetery sits an empty space about the size of a football field. The lack of headstones belies the fact that hundreds are buried at the location -- their stories untold. Western University History and Indigenous Studies professor Cody Groat wanted to change that. 'I was able to hire some research students who over the past three years have been looking through burial registries, census records to find everyone's names who are listed here, but also to learn about their stories.' The Ingersoll Rural Cemetery was established in 1864 and from its earliest days there's been a plot of land in the very back corner where people were buried. 060625 - Monument unveiling Monument to unveil at Ingersoll Rural Cemetery Potter's Field. (Gerry Dewan/CTV News London) They were often interred without headstones because of race, poverty or other social issues. Potter's Field is a common term for the location in a cemetery where unknown individuals are placed. Now a monument will be revealed at the edge of the Potter's Field in the Ingersoll Rural Cemetery. It will be unveiled during a ceremony at 2 p.m. on Saturday. The monument will list almost all the names of those resting at the location. A handful that couldn't be identified will still be acknowledged. Debbie Johnston is chair of the Ingersoll Rural Cemetery Board and worked closely with Groat and his team 'Being able to tell when they came where they came from, what they were doing when they were here. People from the (United) States who had been former slaves, people from China.' There are a few small stones scattered about the Potter's Field, almost all added after burial. One of those stones is about 15 centimetres high and 40 centimetres long. Groat said it was placed at that site by a proprietor of Ingersoll's first Chinese laundry, who wanted to pay tribute to the man who supported him 'A man named Wong Wing Quan, who was impacted by the Chinese head tax. And if you look at this stone in a certain light, you can see Mandarin Chinese vertically.' 060625 - Monument unveiling Monument will list those buried in Ingersoll Rural Cemetery Potter's Field. (Gerry Dewan) Groat says members of a Chicago family will attend the ceremony on Saturday, paying tribute to relatives who travelled to Ingersoll to escape slavery. Johnston told CTV News that for years people would pass over the Potter's Field, many not knowing people buried there. She only found out from her grandmother after they came to lay flowers at the grave of her grandfather. 'She explained it later. She said people who couldn't afford to buy a grave were buried here. So, it was known, but the extent and the size was not known.' Groat said, in an era where we continue to grapple with issues related to unhoused people, he hopes the monument will be a reminder that people shouldn't just be forgotten. 'Hopefully this monument isn't just a one day unveiling. It's a chance for people to come learn and also really humanize the individuals buried here and recognize that some of the patterns reflected in the potter's field still exist today. So, it's a lesson not just about the past, but about the future as well.' Zorra Township and the Town of Ingersoll shared the $20,000 cost of the monument.
