GM to spend $63 million on Oshawa, Ont. plant

GM to upgrade plant

Photo: The Canadian Press

Chevrolet Silverados sit on the General Assembly line at the GM plant in Oshawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, Feb. 22 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

General Motors says it will spend $63 million to upgrade stamping operations at its assembly plant in Oshawa, Ont.

The news comes after the company ended the third shift at the plant at the end of January, resulting in about 500 direct layoffs from GM plus the loss of hundreds of other positions at suppliers that depended on the shift.

GM says the spending underscores the importance of the Oshawa plant and supports preparations to build the next generation of gas-powered full-sized pickups.

It says that with the latest spending announcement, it has dedicated $1.5 billion to the plant since 2020.

Oshawa is GM's only active vehicle assembly plant in Canada after it ended production of its electric delivery van at its Ingersoll, Ont. plant last year. The company produces engines at its St. Catharines, Ont. plant.

GM's pullback on Canadian production has come as U.S. President Donald Trump has gutted support for electric vehicles and imposed tariffs to shift more vehicle assembly to the United States.