Premier Ford to unveil 'auto plan'

Torontosun.com
February 14, 2019
Brian Lilley

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is set to unveil what officials call an new auto plan for the province, although though they are quick to say it is not a strategy.

The premier will be speaking north of Toronto at parts maker Woodbridge Foam Corp.

Later in the day, Economic Development Minister Todd Smith will speak to a meeting of the Automotive News Canada Congress just ahead of the Toronto auto show.

The premier recently visited the Detroit auto show to meet with executives from Ford, GM Chrysler, Toyota and Honda, all the automakers that have assembly plants in Ontario.

“We mean it when we say we are open for business,” Ford told the Sun in early January.

“We want to bring manufacturing back to Ontario.”

That’s great but with assembly plant jobs leaving due to the Oshawa shut down, parts plant jobs like those in Woodbridge could soon follow,

Despite the dire circumstances, officials close to the premier say he will unveil a plan, not a strategy without saying much about what the difference is.

There are approximately 125,000 jobs in the auto sector in Ontario with 70% of them being in parts plants and 30% being in assembly plants.