GM investing $280 million in Ontario truck plant

Automaker General Motors (GM) is investing $280 million to upgrade its Oshawa Assembly plant in Ontario to build next generation full-size gasoline-powered pickups.

In a June 6 statement, Detroit-based GM said the investment builds on its commitment to Canadian manufacturing, which includes more than $1.2 billion invested in the Oshawa plant in 2020.

Product details and timing related to GM’s future trucks are not being released at this time.

Two years ago, Oshawa Assembly launched their GM plant, and since then, they say it has created 2,600 new manufacturing jobs, and thousands of indirect jobs at Canadian suppliers. Production has increased to three shifts, and fifty per cent of new production hires at the Oshawa plant are women.

“We are excited to announce additional investment for our Oshawa plant to support production of the next-generation of full-size pickups,” said Marissa West, president and managing director of GM Canada. “Oshawa Assembly plays a critical role in meeting customer demand for GM’s popular full-size trucks, helping GM lead the Canadian industry in heavy-duty truck sales in 2022 and take an early lead in total truck sales for 2023. Today, we are proud to say we will continue to build pickups with Oshawa pride for years to come.”

Unifor, the union in Canada that represents autoworkers, has 3,000 members employed at Oshawa. “What this investment will do is significant for workers and families across Oshawa and the Durham region,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National president. “By building the next generation of truck products thousands of jobs and the plant’s footprint will be secured for years to come.”