MPs, Unions Raise Concerns Over Plan to Bring in Foreign Workers for NextStar Battery Plant

The arrival of workers from South Korea to help set up Canada’s first electric vehicle (EV) battery manufacturing plant in Windsor, Ont., has some MPs and unions concerned that $15 billion in taxpayer subsidies could be used to hire foreign employees. Construction on the NextStar Energy electric vehicle battery plant, a collaboration between Stellantis and LG Energy Solutions, was renewed in earnest this summer after receiving $15 billion in funding from the federal and provincial governments in a bid to “anchor our auto manufacturing sector and keep good jobs in Canada,” according to a government release. At the time, the EV battery factory was touted to create 2,500 jobs in the Windsor area. ...