Layoffs are planned as CAMI prepares to restart production in November, operating with only one shift instead of two.
The CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., will not resume production until mid-November, according to GM Canada. This temporary adjustment is aimed at aligning production with customer demand.
In contrast to the 600 workers the union had expected to return, the number of workers at the plant is expected to be 400. This reduction in workforce is due to cancellations of shifts at the Detroit plant and the plant operating with only one shift when it resumes operations.
The plant closure is not related to tariffs, as GM Canada has clarified. Instead, it appears to be a continuation of slower sales, according to Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie. He also commented that the current situation is not just an Ingersoll item, but an overall economic situation.
The new battery plant built onsite at CAMI, which opened in 2024, will sit idle for the foreseeable future. The batteries for the vehicles produced at CAMI will come from the United States. If you are referring to the General Motors/Samsung SDI joint venture (announced in 2023 in Ingersoll, Ontario), Samsung SDI is responsible for supplying the battery cells for the vehicles produced using batteries assembled at the CAMI EV Battery Plant.
UNIFOR Local 88 plant chair, Mike Van Boekel, has stated that there will be layoffs due to the reduced workforce. However, Van Boekel also mentioned that the union is discussing retirement incentives to help reduce the number of workers.
GM Canada welcomes this delay and looks forward to working with the government on the regulation. The federal government is also delaying a plan to force automakers to hit minimum sales levels for EVs.
This proactive, strategic step by GM Canada is being described as a move to ensure operations remain aligned with real-time demand. The plant closure is a temporary adjustment, and it remains to be seen when production will return to its previous levels.
