Stellantis Sells Brampton Plant to Roshel, Opening Jobs for Up to 1,000 Workers
Key Facts
Stellantis has signed an agreement to sell its shuttered Brampton plant and related equipment to Canadian armored vehicle maker Roshel, in a deal reported on November 9, 2026, whose value was not disclosed. The agreement shifts the site from auto manufacturing to industrial use led by a defense company, while keeping part of the facility for automotive work. Stellantis said the deal advances its broader strategic goals and opens opportunities in the defense industry. The companies also said they are exploring future cooperation in vehicle technologies and services related to the defense industry. Neither company disclosed financial details or a specific date for the transfer of ownership.
Roshel plans to lease about a quarter of the site to Stellantis so it can continue automotive work after the deal, according to Global News. The arrangement indicates that the sale does not mean the company will leave the facility entirely, as it will retain the ability to use part of it for activities related to its core business. Stellantis said returning the facility to productive industrial use is part of its broader goals. The report did not specify the nature or duration of the automotive work to be carried out in the leased space. It also did not disclose the investment required to restart the plant or the timeline for doing so.
The facility's future is directly tied to Stellantis workers who were laid off after the plant shut down. Global News said the site's return to operation could offer about 700 to 1,000 of the company's laid-off employees the opportunity to return to work at Roshel. More than 2,000 workers were laid off when the plant shut down in 2023, according to the same report. The difference between the two figures reflects the potential job opportunities cited as part of the facility's restart, not a commitment to rehire all former employees. Roshel said in September it was prepared to give laid-off Unifor workers hiring priority and bring them back to work as soon as possible during 2026.
The deal comes amid an unresolved labor dispute between Stellantis and Unifor, which represents more than 9,000 of the company's workers in Canada, according to The Canadian Press. Contract talks between the parties have reached an impasse, while union president Lana Payne called the plant sale a betrayal of members and criticized the company's abandonment of its commitments to them, Global News reported. Stellantis workers in Canada had backed a union strike mandate by 97.3% in the month before the report. Payne said the union was not currently in a strike position and aimed to return to the bargaining table to reach a settlement, adding that a strike was a last resort. Those positions leave the workers' future and the company's commitments to them among the unresolved issues following the sale announcement.
Stellantis Chief Executive Antonio Filosa said the company would continue working with Unifor to reach a fair settlement after three years of paid leave. On the government front, Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said she had contacted the company, the union, the Ontario government and representatives of Brampton workers to arrange a meeting during the week of the announcement. The Canadian Press reported that Payne said a four-way meeting with the company and government officials was scheduled for later that week to discuss the plant's future. The planned meeting puts the site and its workers on the agenda for the parties involved, while the deal's financial terms remain undisclosed. The announcement did not include a final settlement of the labor dispute.
The sale stems from the plant's shutdown and a plan to retool it to produce Jeep vehicles. Reuters says Stellantis closed Brampton in 2023 for retooling, then suspended work in 2025 and moved future production of the Jeep Compass to a plant in Illinois after the United States imposed tariffs on Canadian goods. The Canadian Press reported that retooling for Jeep production began in early 2024 before the company halted the plan in early 2025. In September 2026, Stellantis signed a memorandum of understanding with Roshel on a possible sale of the plant, before announcing a final agreement in November. In the market, the company's shares closed at $4.42 on November 9, according to EL7 data.
In separate economic news, the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index came in at 58.3 for October in a release published on November 6, compared with a forecast of 57.7 and a September reading of 58.2. The index measures monthly changes in economic activity based on reports from purchasing managers across Canada and covers the Canadian economy's sectors, according to the Ivey Business School. The seasonally adjusted employment index also stood at 58.3 in October, compared with 56.5 in September and 51.8 in October 2025. The data provide broader context on Canada's labor market and economic activity, while the impact of the Brampton deal on workers remains tied to the facility's restart and an understanding between Stellantis and the union. The four-way meeting to discuss the plant's future was scheduled for later in the week of the announcement.