Brampton city council has unanimously adopted a motion to designate the Stellantis Brampton Assembly Plant site exclusively for automobile manufacturing.

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 bylaws to explicitly protect the lands at 2000 Williams Parkway for automotive assembly and related manufacturing.

Unifor welcomed the move, calling it a critical step in safeguarding Canadian auto jobs.

“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,” said Unifor National President Lana Payne. “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.”

The future of the Stellantis plant has been uncertain since February 2025, when the company paused retooling work. In October 2025, Stellantis announced that production of the Jeep Compass would be relocated to its idled Belvedere, Ill., facility from Brampton — a move the union maintains violates the collective agreement and commitments tied to significant federal and provincial government funding.

“This is exactly the kind of leadership we need right now,” said Unifor Local 1285 President Vito Beato. “Our mayor and our city council are sending a clear message that they stand with us, our members, and our union in Stellantis’ bid to move our vehicle production to the United States. 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.”

Unifor has urged governments at every level to use every available tool to defend Canadian auto jobs, maintain domestic production capacity and attract new investment in assembly, parts and advanced manufacturing.

“This decision by the City of Brampton should serve as a model for other municipalities facing mounting pressure on strategic industrial lands,” added Payne. “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 Detroit Three autoworkers, including more than 8,000 members employed by Stellantis.

Unifor is Canada’s largest private-sector union, representing 320,000 workers across major sectors of the economy and advocating for workers’ rights, equality and social justice in Canada and abroad.

The Brampton plant’s future has remained uncertain following the automaker’s decision to move production of the Jeep Compass south of the border.

The move is part of Stellantis US$13-billion plan to boost output in the United States.

The Brampton plant, idle since 2023, had been slated to produce the Compass following retooling work that stalled in February 2025 after U.S. President Donald Trump announced 25% tariffs on imported automobiles. More than 3,000 unionized Stellantis employees remain on layoff.

Stellantis has stated that it plans to increase U.S. production by 50% over the next four years, adding five models and more than 5,000 jobs in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.

The company has also said that it has plans for the Brampton facility and would share them with the federal government.

Pictured: Stellantis auto assembly plant in Brampton, Ont.

Photo: Stellantis