GM Pledges in Writing Not to Sell CAMI — the Ontario Plant That Once Built BrightDrop EVs

General Motors has pledged in writing not to close or sell its idled CAMI plant in Ingersoll, Ontario — the factory that built the BrightDrop electric delivery van — as part of a new three-year collective agreement with Unifor covering more than 4,600 workers at four southern Ontario facilities.

Details of the agreement, reached Aug. 22 and released as workers began ratifying this weekend, include a $144-million investment to add next-generation GMC Sierra heavy-duty truck production at the Oshawa Assembly plant, plus a separate $215-million investment at the St. Catharines Propulsion Plant for a next-generation transmission that begins assembly in 2029 and is expected to create 250 new jobs.

What the deal means for CAMI

CAMI is the most electric-significant site in the agreement. The Ingersoll plant was retooled as GM's first full-scale electric-vehicle assembly facility in Canada and produced the BrightDrop Zevo electric delivery vans before being idled. Under the new deal, GM commits not to close or sell the plant while it looks for "new program opportunities," and the plant gets "first consideration" for Canadian Armed Forces defence work if GM wins that contract from the federal government.

• $144 million — Oshawa Assembly, next-generation GMC Sierra HD production
• $215 million — St. Catharines, next-gen transmission (assembly from 2029, single-source plant, 250 jobs)
• 3% wage increases each year, a $10,000 productivity bonus and a new December bonus
• CAMI Ingersoll — written no-close/no-sell pledge plus first look at defence-work allocation

Oshawa runs on two shifts

The deal also introduces what the union calls an "innovative program" to reduce layoffs at Oshawa after a third shift was shelved in January. "Based on current customer demand and company volume forecasts for vehicle assembly production, Oshawa Assembly is expected to operate on two shifts for the duration of the 2026 Collective Agreement," union officials said.

Why this matters for Canada's EV transition

The agreement lands amid headwinds the deal itself names: U.S. tariffs, the Trump administration's decision not to extend the Canada-United-States-Mexico Agreement, and the arrival of Chinese electric vehicles in Canada. For EV watchers, keeping CAMI in GM's portfolio — rather than sold or shuttered — preserves the country's only dedicated EV van plant as a candidate for future electric programs or military contracts, even as near-term investment flows to combustion-powered HD trucks.

Unifor moves on to talks with Stellantis next.

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