Stellantis auto plant sale draws optimism, hurt in Brampton, Ont., after 2,000 jobs lost

Isha Bhargava · CBC News

· Posted: Nov 11, 2026 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 29 minutes ago

For three years, Shelly Lewis has been trying to increase foot traffic at her restaurant after it dwindled following the 2023 closure of the Stellantis auto plant in Brampton, Ont.

Shelly's Kitchen on Chrysler Drive is among the many food shops that relied on business from thousands of Stellantis workers, but Lewis said she's had to lay off a staff member and admits she has struggled to pay bills some months.

"The Stellantis plant made business for me because I had staff at all hours come in and I had lots of specials," she said. "I'm so sad that they shut down operations."

Now, however, she's hopeful that news the automater is expected to have a new owner will result in more customers at her eatery and rejuvenate the area.

On Monday, it was announced that Canadian armoured ⁠vehicle maker Roshel Inc. will buy the auto plant, acquiring the idled facility and equipment from Stellantis for an undisclosed amount.

• Roshel to buy Stellantis assembly plant in Brampton for undisclosed amount, automaker says

That appears to be positive news, as more than 2,000 workers were laid off when operations were halted in in 2023 to retool the plant for Jeep production, a plan that was paused in early 2025.

Baltej Bajwa, among the over 2,000 workers laid off from Brampton's Stellantis facility, says it's great that Roshel is offering jobs to workers in the city, but fears there will be lots of uncertainty for colleagues. (CBC)

But Baltej Bajwa, one of the laid-off workers who's been left in limbo since the plant's closure, remains uncertain of his future and said he was shocked to hear about the sale.

"Any hope that we had of potentially coming back when we heard the news kind of just got shattered," Bajwa said.

• How Pearson airport plans to fill jobs with laid-off Stellantis workers

Roshel Inc. CEO Roman Shimonov did say the company plans to employ thousands of people and will give first priority to the workers who lost their job in Brampton.

However, Bajwa said, Roshel's production capacity will be far fewer than the 400 to 800 vehicles that the 2,200 Stellantis workers produced daily.

"So yes, it's amazing that Roshel is giving us those job opportunities, but it still does kind of leave the other half of the plant in a state of disarray where we don't know where we're going to go."

'They can't cut and run,' mayor says

Roshel's purchase of the plant has garnered harsh words from union leaders and politicians.

Prime Minister Mark Carney called it a "betrayal" to all Canadians.

Lana Payne, national president of Unifor, said Monday that the sale is an "unacceptable outcome" for the union and its members, calling it the "worst-case scenario."

• Stellantis auto plant closure in Brampton a 'betrayal' to all Canadians, Carney says

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown echoed those sentiments. He said Stellantis has received "bailouts" from various levels of government over the years, including most recently in 2022, "on the basis of production in Canada."

"Brampton residents are rightfully angry. I think Canadians should be angry," he told CBC News on Tuesday. "This is a company that has depended on Canadian taxpayer generosity for decades. They can't cut and run without consequences.

"Stellantis has abandoned Canadian workers — they got bullied by the Trump administration. If we allow Stellantis to leave easily and ignore their legal obligations, this will not be the last auto plant that falls in Canada. Really, this is ground zero of protecting auto jobs."

In a statement, Stellantis said it would voluntarily repay the subsidies.

Purchase will drive up economic activity: Board of Trade

Brown said he thinks Roshel is a great local company that has ambitions to create thousands of jobs, but doesn't believe it should have purchased Stellantis.

However, Jaipaul Massey-Singh, CEO of the Brampton Board of Trade, believes this will be a boon to the city and the local economy.

He said the impact of Stellantis's closure goes beyond just workers, affecting their families and the local businesses they were supporting. He has heard from many shops that have laid off staff, lost orders and reduced their hours to stay afloat.

"Knowing that it's going to result in activity in that plant once more, creating employment for those who are going to be there but also additional employment and economic activity for the community in general, is absolutely welcome news," Massey-Singh said about the sale.

"For every employee that's affected, it's up to, five to six additional employees or workers in that community that are impacted. So in a place like Brampton, we're talking minimum [12,000] to 15,000 individuals who were impacted by Stellantis's decision to walk away."

The Chrysler Brampton Assembly plant is seen Nov. 10 in this image taken by drone. Local leaders have condemned Stellantis's decision to sell the plant, leaving over 2,000 workers without jobs. However, local businesses hope the sale will bring more foot traffic to the area. (Patrick Morrell/CBC)

Massey-Singh hopes every laid-off Stellantis employee gets their jobs back, and believes reopening the plant under new ownership will drive more investment and business in the form of new workers, retraining and additional resources.

Lewis remains optimistic that Roshel joining the community will help boost business for her restaurant and other local establishments.

"I'm happy that something else will be there again because they'll have people working there again and this plaza has lots of different businesses, so I know it's going to be better for everybody."