GM To Reduce Chevy BrightDrop Production At CAMI Plant In Ontario

GM has informed Canadian labor union Unifor that it’s initiating temporary layoffs at the CAMI assembly plant in Ingersol, Ontario, starting April 14^th. Workers will return in May for a limited production run, after which operations will idle until October for retooling in preparation for the 2026 model year for commercial EVs. CAMI assembly is the sole production site of the Chevy BrightDrop electric commercial van.

“This is a crushing blow to hundreds of working families in Ingersoll and the surrounding region who depend on this plant,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “General Motors must do everything in its power to mitigate job loss during this downturn, and all levels of government must step up to support Canadian auto workers and Canadian-made products.”

When production resumes at CAMI assembly in October of 2025, it will go back down to a single shift. This is expected to lay off almost 500 workers indefinitely. Even before North American auto manufacturing was disrupted by the trade policies of the second Trump administration, the CAMI plant faced ups and downs with production pauses and shifting between one and two shifts since it became the production site of BrightDrop vans starting in late 2022.

“Our members have endured so much – from retooling disruptions to months of rotating layoffs – and now they’re facing a major production slowdown and job loss,” said Unifor Local 88 CAMI Plant Chairperson Mike Van Boekel. “Global demand for last-mile delivery vehicles is only growing. Our members have the skill, the experience, and the pride to build world-class electric vehicles right here in Canada – all we need is the opportunity to keep doing it.”

Lana Payne went on to blame President Donald Trump for the reduction in Chevy BrightDrop production and warned of China’s increasing foothold in global EV market share. “The reality is the U.S. is creating industry turmoil. Trump’s short-sighted tariffs and rejection of EV technology is disrupting investment and freezing future order projections,” said Payne. “This is creating an opening for China and other foreign automakers to dominate the global EV market while the North America industry risks falling behind.”

“Make no mistake – the world is moving rapidly towards electrification. If Canada and the U.S. hit pause now, we may never catch up,” Payne continued. “We risk surrendering our future unless we act decisively to support our own industry.”