Cami auto plant shutting down for months, cutting 450 jobs

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Hit hard by U.S. tariffs and slow sales, Cami Assembly is cutting 450 jobs and shutting down for several months.

The Ingersoll manufacturer of electric-vehicle commercial vans will shut down for three weeks beginning Monday. Workers will then return for two weeks and then they’re off until October, said Mike Van Boekel, union chair with Unifor Local 88.

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 When workers return in the fall, it will be with fewer staff as General Motors cuts jobs.

“This is about slower sales and the tariffs will really hurt us,” Van Boekel said.

“This is awful news. It’s devastating.”

The union and company will try mitigate job losses with retirement and buyout packages, in hopes of reducing the layoff total, he added.

“We think tariffs are a major factor.”

A recent report by a U.S. consultant stated the 25 per cent tariffs imposed on Canadian-made vehicles sold in the U.S. will add more than US$15,000 to the price of a BrightDrop cargo van made in Ingersoll. It now sells for more than $70,000 in the U.S.

In 2024 GM sold more than 1,500 BrightDrop vans in the U.S. 

In a statement on Friday, GM Canada officials downplayed the role of tariffs in the shutdown and job cuts.

“Today, GM Canada confirmed Cami is making operational and employment adjustments to balance inventory and align production schedules with current demand,” the statement read. “GM remains committed to the future of BrightDrop and the Cami plant and will support employees through the transition.

“This adjustment is directly related to responding to market demand and re-balancing inventory. Production of BrightDrop and (electric vehicle) battery assembly will remain at Cami.” 

The plant, located along Hwy. 401 east of London, now employs 1,300 and also has an electric-vehicle battery assembly plant on site.

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