General Motors Oshawa assembly plant reopens

GM Canada has announced that the first Chevrolet Silverado pickup has rolled off the line at the reopened Oshawa Assembly plant.

The return of truck production to Oshawa provides an economic boost for Canada’s automotive sector, creating 1,800 new jobs to support two shifts of production in Oshawa, and supporting thousands of additional jobs in the supplier base in Canada.

Pickups are the automaker’s largest and most important market segment across the continent, and the Oshawa plant will help the company meet the demand for its family of pickup trucks. Oshawa Assembly has been retooled to be one of the most flexible and advanced of its kind in the industry, the company states. Oshawa will begin shipping trucks to dealers in December 2021.

“The reopening of Oshawa Assembly is an historic accomplishment for GM Canada and our many community partners who worked together to bring us to this very happy day,” said Scott Bell, GM Canada president/managing director. “The rapid retooling, hiring, and training needed to reach today’s start of production was an extraordinary accomplishment. We continue our work with the federal and Ontario governments toward even larger transformative investments in Canada and we are especially pleased that the first truck off the line will help GM and our Canadian dealers raise money for Sharon’s Kids, one of our favourite charities in Durham Region.”

To continue the plant’s legacy of giving back to the community, GM Canada will raffle one of its first vehicles to our dealers to benefit the Durham Children’s Aid Foundation (DCAF). This continues the legacy of Sharon Clark, a former employee of Oshawa who lost her battle with cancer in 2020. For more than 50 years, Oshawa Assembly employees have donated holiday gifts for children in need, through “Sharon’s Kids.” Since 2018, GM Canada and our employees have donated more than $500,000 to Sharon’s Kids, which is now part of DCAF.“

Today marks an incredible milestone as the first trucks roll off the assembly line here at GM’s reopened assembly plant in Oshawa. With this plant re-opening, over 1,800 new skilled workers will find steady and important work helping to produce world-class, Ontario-made GM trucks. As we move forward with our plan to build Ontario, we will continue to create the conditions needed for more investment while restoring good manufacturing jobs just like these,” said Premier Doug Ford.

“The return of vehicle assembly to the Oshawa plant is unprecedented in our history. It is an achievement owed to the resiliency and dedication of Unifor members. Seeing the first of many trucks roll off the newly re-opened Oshawa assembly line was a proud moment for everyone who fought shoulder to shoulder for these jobs. The auto industry has and will continue to be the bedrock of Oshawa and Durham region’s economy,” said Jerry Dias, Unifor national president.