New $265,000,000 electric vehicle battery facility bringing hundreds of new jobs to Brampton

Plans for a $265-million electric vehicle battery facility in Brampton could bring more than 500 new jobs in the auto sector to the city.

On Wednesday (Feb. 15) the Province announced that Toronto-based automotive supplier Magna International is expanding its Ontario operations to include a new EV battery enclosure facility in Brampton.

The facility will cost some $ 265 million to build and is slated to open later this year. The Province says the expansion will create approximately 560 new jobs in Brampton and the surrounding region once the facility is at full production.

“The cars of the future and the batteries that power them will be built right here in Ontario, by Ontario workers,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said while making the announcement in Brampton.

Magna says the new Brampton facility will be a 490,000-square-foot facility and experts to start operations in the second quarter of 2023.

But Magna isn’t bringing more auto sector jobs to Brampton alone. The new EV battery enclosure facility is just one part of a $471 million expansion by Magna, including adding a $140 million electrical coating and painting operation to its Guelph facility, a $24 million expansion of its Newmarket plant to produce electrical door and hood latching units, and $35 million upgrade to Magna’s lighting division in Belleville.

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The Province says the investment will create up to 475 more new jobs across Magna’s five other facilities in Guelph, Windsor, Belleville, Newmarket, and Penetanguishene, supported by $23.6 million in funding through Invest Ontario.

Magna International got its start as a tool-and-die manufacturer in Toronto more than 65 years ago and has grown to become one of the largest suppliers of car components with 168,000 employees worldwide.

Wednesday’s announcement is just the latest investment by the Province in Brampton’s electric vehicle industry and follows a $513 million commitment to help Stellantis overhaul its Brampton and Windsor plants, converting them to multi-energy vehicle assembly facilities ready to produce electric vehicles.

The auto manufacturer is planning to revamp its Brampton facility with a flexible assembly line capable of producing battery-electric and hybrid vehicles, diversifying the automaker’s capacity to meet growing consumer demand for low-emission vehicles.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown called the Magna facility further proof of Brampton’s forward momentum.

“The fact this facility will be focused on the burgeoning electric vehicle market only adds to that momentum and bolsters our City’s reputation as a leader in innovation and advanced manufacturing,” Brown said in a statement.

Over the last two years, the Province says it has attracted $16.5 billion in investments by global automakers and suppliers, including more than $12.5 billion in EV and EV battery-related manufacturing investments.