Here we go again. And they’ve only just begun.Following lavish handouts to Volkswagen and Stellantis, Ottawa and the government of Ontario on Monday teamed up to hand out up to $1 billion in tax dollars for Belgium’s Umicore to build an EV battery parts plant in Loyalist Township in the southern part of the province.The facility, in the Ontario town of Loyalist Township, will manufacture cathode active materials and precursor cathode active materials, federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne — who made the announcement alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford — said in a statement.The plant, which is being touted as the first of its kind in North America, will initially employ 600 and have a battery materials production capacity of 35 gigawatt hours annually.The Umicore plant will be built in stages and could be worth $2.7 billion when fully completed. Ottawa will contribute $551.3 million while Ontario will kick in the remaining $424.6 million.Once complete, the plant will crank out enough battery materials to support the production of more than 800,000 EVs per year, Champagne said.Since the start of the year, the Canadian and Ontario governments have handed out $28.2 billion in subsidies to woo battery makers to set up manufacturing plants, mostly in eastern Canada. In September, the country’s budget watchdog said it would take more than 20 years to recoup the monies.By contrast, manufacturers have ponied up just $26 billion in return for those handouts.In his address, Champagne pointed to both those deals as examples of how Canada is becoming a leader in developing full EV supply chains, from minerals to recycling and disposal. .And he vowed more to come.“Ladies and gents, we’re just getting started by the way,” he said. “So just watch us over the next few months and years.”For his part, Ontario Premier Doug Ford vowed “tens of billions more” to come. “We’re revitalizing our automotive sector. We’re just getting started.”Ontario’s auto sector accounts for about 10% of Canada’s GDP — roughly equivalent or even a bit smaller than Alberta’s oil patch — and about 21% of its manufacturing trade with countries such as the US..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
Here we go again. And they’ve only just begun.Following lavish handouts to Volkswagen and Stellantis, Ottawa and the government of Ontario on Monday teamed up to hand out up to $1 billion in tax dollars for Belgium’s Umicore to build an EV battery parts plant in Loyalist Township in the southern part of the province.The facility, in the Ontario town of Loyalist Township, will manufacture cathode active materials and precursor cathode active materials, federal Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne — who made the announcement alongside Ontario Premier Doug Ford — said in a statement.The plant, which is being touted as the first of its kind in North America, will initially employ 600 and have a battery materials production capacity of 35 gigawatt hours annually.The Umicore plant will be built in stages and could be worth $2.7 billion when fully completed. Ottawa will contribute $551.3 million while Ontario will kick in the remaining $424.6 million.Once complete, the plant will crank out enough battery materials to support the production of more than 800,000 EVs per year, Champagne said.Since the start of the year, the Canadian and Ontario governments have handed out $28.2 billion in subsidies to woo battery makers to set up manufacturing plants, mostly in eastern Canada. In September, the country’s budget watchdog said it would take more than 20 years to recoup the monies.By contrast, manufacturers have ponied up just $26 billion in return for those handouts.In his address, Champagne pointed to both those deals as examples of how Canada is becoming a leader in developing full EV supply chains, from minerals to recycling and disposal. .And he vowed more to come.“Ladies and gents, we’re just getting started by the way,” he said. “So just watch us over the next few months and years.”For his part, Ontario Premier Doug Ford vowed “tens of billions more” to come. “We’re revitalizing our automotive sector. We’re just getting started.”Ontario’s auto sector accounts for about 10% of Canada’s GDP — roughly equivalent or even a bit smaller than Alberta’s oil patch — and about 21% of its manufacturing trade with countries such as the US..This is what the Western Standard is up againstThe Trudeau government is funding lies and propaganda by directly subsidizing the mainstream media. They do this to entrench the powerful Eastern, woke and corrupt interests that dominate the political, social and economic institutions in Canada. Federal authorities are constantly trying to censor us and stop us from publishing the stories that they don’t want you to read. Ottawa may weaponize our taxes and police against us, but we’ve got a powerful ally on our side.You. Free men, and free women. We need you to stand with us and become a member of the Western Standard. Here’s what you will get for your membership:Unlimited access to all articles from the Western Standard, Alberta Report, West Coast Standard, and Saskatchewan Standard, with no paywall. Our daily newsletter delivered to your inbox. .Access to exclusive Member-only WS events.Keep the West’s leading independent media voice strong and free.If you can, please support us with a monthly or annual membership. It takes just a moment to set up, and you will be making a big impact on keeping one the last independent media outlets in Canada free from Ottawa’s corrupting influence.
