City wants to join legal fight to safeguard jobs from Stellantis’ plant gear-down in Brampton

Brampton City Council is looking to join in on any legal or regulatory hearings related to Stellantis’ plans to move production of new Jeep Compasses to the U.S., calling the automotive industry “a cornerstone of local prosperity.”

Council passed a motion in closed session this week, seeking “intervenor status” following the U.S. automaker’s announcement earlier this month that it plans to shift production of the new Jeeps from its Brampton plant to Illinois.

Put forward by Coun. Rod Power and unanimously approved by council, the motion “would allow the City of Brampton to join in any legal or regulatory hearings related to the Stellanits decision, ensuring local concerns are reflected,” the city a release.

Stellantis employs around 3,000 workers in Brampton. And while the company has said it has plans for the plant, Unifor Local 1285 President Vito Beato told Brampton City Council earlier this month he was skeptical following years of assurances from the company that the Jeeps would be made in Brampton.

Speaking to members of Parliament during a House of Commons industry and technology committee meeting on Wednesday, Stellantis president Jeff Hines said the company is looking at options to get laid-off workers back on the job.

“We recognize the impact that these decisions have had,” said Hines, who noted there are supports in place for impacted workers and that the company is offering transfer opportunities to other facilities.

The city says every auto job in Brampton generates “five to six spin-off jobs – supporting machinists, suppliers, logistics professionals, local small businesses, and countless others.”

“We are deeply concerned about the impact this move will have on our community, and we are committed to advocating for our residents and workers at every level,” Mayor Patrick Brown said, adding that the motion “is about protecting jobs, supporting families and ensuring our community remains strong and resilient.”

In July of 2023, both Ontario and the feds said an agreement on joint support for electric vehicle and battery projects with the company included a number of conditions, including that “Stellantis will uphold its existing commitments in Canada and Ontario, including a production mandate at its plant in Brampton.”

Brown said in an interview with CTV News that “you can’t take taxpayer subsidies and then cut and run.”

“If they think they can take parts out of here, we’ll have barricades up here,” he said at a rally in support of Stellantis workers on Wednesday. “They’re not leaving this location unless taxpayers are made whole, or they leave the jobs here.”

In response to moves away from Canada by U.S. automakers, the federal government is limiting how many vehicles Stellantis and GM can import tariff-free.

“Brampton’s partnership with the automotive sector spans four decades – from securing land for American Motors Corporation to build the original plant in 1984, to launching local ‘Buy Chrysler’ campaigns,” the city says. “As the plant transitioned from Chrysler to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and eventually Stellantis, Brampton remained a vocal advocate for continued investment.”

The Brampton plant’s union council says it “unequivocally rejects” Stellantis moving Jeep production away from Brampton, and that members “will take all necessary steps to reverse this decision, in coordination with Unifor’s national leadership.”

“Stellantis’ actions are appalling,” the letter reads, adding that company reps “reassured (members) that the vehicle commitment to Brampton was unchanged” following delays in retooling the plant.

– With files from The Canadian Press

Today, Brampton City Council reinforced its long-standing support for the local automotive industry, including the workers at Stellantis’ Brampton Assembly Plant represented by Unifor Local 1285, by approving a motion for the City to seek intervenor status in response to… pic.twitter.com/fyia7NEoOP

— Patrick Brown (@patrickbrownont) October 29, 2025