GM Ingersoll Shuts Down Amid Soft Demand, Hundreds Face Layoffs

General Motors will temporarily close its CAMI Assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., citing weaker demand for the BrightDrop electric delivery vans produced there. According to union officials, layoffs will begin immediately, with some operations continuing into May before the plant shuts down completely until October. When production resumes, the factory will run at half capacity, placing nearly 500 of its 1,200 workers on indefinite layoff.

The news arrives just weeks after Stellantis announced a comparable move at its Windsor Assembly Plant in southwestern Ontario. While the CAMI halt is unrelated to the newly imposed U.S. auto tariffs, it adds to a wave of uncertainty rippling through Canada’s manufacturing sector. Ingersoll Mayor Brian Petrie called the development “heartbreaking,” acknowledging the impact on hundreds of families who depend on local factory jobs.

Federal party leaders offered mixed reactions. Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre pinned blame on Trump’s broader trade policies, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh urged better worker protections, including reforms to employment insurance. Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Mark Carney called for resilience, highlighting government measures to ease the shock for laid-off workers. Despite short-term turmoil, local officials believe the region’s skilled workforce will help the plant rebound once demand recovers.