Windsor's mayor-elect says Stellantis Brampton sale means 'anxieties' for Windsorites — despite the distance

And even though Brampton is four hours away, Windsor Mayor-elect Fred Francis says there are some anxieties here when it comes to the thousands of jobs tied to Stellantis in this community. He wants to continue to ensure that Windsor-made vehicles are bought by the City of Windsor and push for that to happen provincially and federally as well. Francis says there is a role to play at the municipal level when it comes to Stellantis. We'll have a better understanding of what that role directly is come Monday when we assume office. But anything we can do, myself and City Council, to ensure jobs are protected, autoworkers are protected, industry in Windsor and Essex is protected, that's what we'll do. We will use every tool within our toolbox to do that. We will stand by the autoworker's side. They've always stood by our side, so they have to understand that their government, their municipal government, their mayor and their City Council has their back always. Now there are still ongoing contract talks between Unifor and Stellantis for its remaining workforce. That contract expired on September 20th. Last month, workers voted 97 percent in favor of a strike mandate. One expert says what's happening in Brampton could have implications here in Windsor. If Unifor decides to put its foot down and put pressure back on Stellantis, Stellantis could find a way to abandon the Windsor plant in the long run. Those products there are only built there, so that's securing that plant at the moment. But if there's enough pressure put on Stellantis to hire more locals, then they could decide to pack up their bags and find another plant for the minivan. It's a long shot, but enough pressure would do that to a manufacturer like this, and they could simply find another plant to build those vehicles.