Brampton City Council has unanimously passed a motion to permanently designate the Stellantis assembly plant site for automotive manufacturing, a move the city says is aimed at protecting thousands of Canadian auto jobs amid ongoing uncertainty about the plant’s future.
The motion, moved by Mayor Patrick Brown and seconded by Regional Councillor Gurpartap Singh Toor, commits the city to amend its Official Plan, zoning and related by-laws for the Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant at 2000 Williams Parkway to restrict the land to automotive assembly and related manufacturing uses.
Background on plant uncertainty
The Brampton plant’s future became uncertain in February 2025 when Stellantis paused retooling work at the facility. In October 2025, the company announced it would move production of the Jeep Compass from Brampton to its idled Belvidere plant in Illinois.
Unifor, which represents workers at the plant, says the move violates the collective agreement and agreements tied to significant federal and provincial government funding.
Union response
Unifor National President Lana Payne welcomed the council’s decision.
“Our members in Brampton have demanded that all levels of government take action to protect the future of their plant and their jobs and we are pleased to see this concrete action by the city,” Payne said. “Permanently designating Canada’s existing auto footprint for vehicle manufacturing only is smart industrial policy and I commend Mayor Brown and all Brampton City Councillors for working with our union to get this done.”
Unifor Local 1285 President Vito Beato said the zoning protection has broader significance.
“Brampton’s autoworkers built this city for generations. By protecting this land, we’re protecting Canada’s industrial capacity and ensuring that Brampton will always build cars now and in the future.”
Wider implications for HR and industry
Payne said the decision should serve as a precedent for other municipalities.
“This decision by the City of Brampton should serve as a model for other municipalities facing mounting pressure on strategic industrial lands,” she said. “These are necessary changes that will go a long way to help protect Canada’s auto sector throughout this trade war.”
Unifor represents approximately 20,000 workers at the Detroit Three automakers, including more than 8,000 Stellantis employees. The union is Canada’s largest private-sector union, representing 320,000 workers across major sectors of the economy.
