General Motors (GM) will halt and then scale back production of its BrightDrop electric delivery van at the Ingersoll, Ontario, assembly plant, leading to nearly 500 layoffs, according to Canada's private sector union Unifor.
Temporary layoffs will begin on April 14, with limited production resuming in May. Operations will then be idled until October 2025, after which the plant will operate on a single shift indefinitely, resulting in the layoffs.
During the downtime, GM plans to retool the facility for its 2026 model-year commercial electric vehicles. Despite selling 274 BrightDrop vans in the first quarter, a 7% increase from the previous year, GM's commitment to the Ontario facility remains uncertain without stronger domestic support and fair market access, Unifor stated.
Unifor National President Lana Payne criticized US tariffs, calling them disruptive to investment and future order projections.
