More than 2,200 laid-off workers at Stellantis’ Brampton plant have no announced route back to work after the automaker agreed to sell the idle Ontario facility to Roshel.
Stellantis announced Monday that it had signed an asset purchase agreement covering the plant and its equipment. The companies did not disclose the price. Closing is expected by the end of 2026, subject to conditions that include government and regulatory requirements.
Roshel plans to establish a manufacturing center at the site. The companies are also exploring cooperation on vehicle technology and services for the defense industry. They announced no hiring target, production timetable or plan for the laid-off Stellantis workers.
Unifor says more than 2,200 of its members have been laid off since the plant became idle in December 2023. The union says Stellantis paused retooling work in February 2025 and later announced that planned Jeep Compass production would move to the United States.
Contract talks reached an impasse Sept. 11, according to Unifor. In an Oct. 17-18 vote, 97.3% of participating members authorized strike action if needed. EconoTimes previously covered the strike authorization amid stalled negotiations.
Unifor says the sale violates its collective agreement with Stellantis and the automaker’s commitments to the federal government. Canada committed up to C$529 million toward a C$3.577 billion Stellantis investment involving Brampton and Windsor. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada says C$222,358,464 had been disbursed by March 31, 2025; the figures cover both facilities.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said the company remained committed to “working with Unifor on a fair resolution.” The transaction is still subject to closing conditions, and the companies expect it to close by the end of 2026.
