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Invest WindsorEssex received the money from the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario on July 19
The federal government is giving $200,000 to an economic development corporation in Windsor, Ont., to spend on building the global electric-vehicle battery supply chain.
Invest WindsorEssex received the money from the Federal Economic Development Agency (FedEv) for Southern Ontario on July 19.
The money is earmarked to assist 120 businesses in Southwestern Ontario in “identifying and preparing for new supply chain opportunities and building their workforces
The money comes just weeks after the federal government pledged it would increase its financial aid to Stellantis and its partner LG Energy Solution in building their Nextstar Energy battery-cell plant in Windsor. The government says it’s increasing the size of subsidies it will give the company to make EV batteries and modules there. That investment could top $15 billion, observers say
“The shift towards EV and battery manufacturing is opening up many new opportunities for existing suppliers in the region to meet the demand for parts and technologies that are essential for the production of EVs,” FedDev said in a statement.
The federal government says Windsor and its surrounding communities “are at the forefront of this exciting new chapter for southern Ontario’s automotive sector.”
About 180 kilometres northeast of Stellantis’ $5-billion plant, Volkswagen is building a $7-billion EV battery plant.
FedDev made a similar pledge — worth $300,000 — to the London economic development corporation earlier in July.
“The shift towards electric-vehicle and battery manufacturing is opening up many new opportunities for existing suppliers in the region to meet the demand for parts and technologies that are essential for the production of EVs,” FedDev said. “They are also demonstrating to foreign businesses that southern Ontario is the destination to support the expansion of the automotive industry.”
Irek Kusmierczyk, Liberal member of Parliament for Windsor-Tecumseh, says the money “will help to ensure our local companies have the resources, tools and support they need to capture new opportunities in the EV sector and attract and keep talent.”