Warden McNamara welcomed the members of County Council, Administration and members of the public and delivered the following greeting:
We received a sobering reminder last week that we need to remain firmly focused on our economic future.
Stellantis announced Friday that it will reduce the workforce at the Windsor Assembly Plant to one shift next spring due to economic headwinds that include the semiconductor shortage and the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the same time, Stellantis said it remains committed to making a $1.5-billion investment in the plant, as it promised during 2020 bargaining with Unifor. We were also heartened to hear Premier Doug Ford say Monday that both the provincial and federal governments are ready to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars to make that happen.
The Premier said he is confident the Windsor Assembly Plant will return to a three-shift operation in the future. He also expressed support for establishing a vehicle battery manufacturing factory in our region.
We are grateful for the Ontario government’s support and are doing our part. The County of Essex is working with the City of Windsor and other local partners to invite investments by forward-looking industries that want to set up shop in our region.
Next week, some of the leaders in the future of manufacturing will be attending and speaking at the Emerging Technologies in Automation Virtual Conference, which is based in Windsor-Essex. This is an example of how our region is supporting the transformation of existing industries and nurturing the development of new ones.
One of those existing industries is agriculture, which has long been an economic mainstay in Essex County. Later this evening, we will review a request by the Essex County Federation of Agriculture. It is asking that we do a better job of consulting with farmers when we make decisions at the municipal and County level.
We want to thank the federation for reminding us how important farming is to this region, and that the technology and equipment farmers use is constantly evolving. We also remind everyone out on the roads this autumn to be patient and drive with caution when they see farm machinery on the road. We want everyone to be safe during this busy harvest season.
Finally, I want to thank Premier Ford and Health Minister Christine Elliott for coming to Windsor-Essex on Monday to confirm the province’s $9.8-million commitment to cover the cost of ongoing planning for our new regional hospital. We will be ready when it’s time to put a shovel in the ground.