New Alstom contract with Toronto a major win for Thunder Bay
Workers at the Alstom plant are celebrating Thursday’s announcement of a $2.3 billion contract for new Toronto subway cars.
The project will build 70 new six-car trains for Toronto’s transit system, and all of them will pass through the Alstom Thunder Bay plant during the manufacturing process. Funding will support 240 jobs in Thunder Bay and 950 across the country.
“This is the greatest news we’ve had in a couple years around here,” said Justin Roberts, President of Unifor Local 1075, the union that represents hundreds of Alstom workers. “We couldn’t have done this without the constant lobbying of the union to keep these jobs in Canada.”
As part of PM Mark Carney’s Buy Canada policy, there will also be a 30 percent increase in Canadian materials and components in these subway cars, up to a total of 55 percent.
“It’s a really big deal because it’s the government backing a Buy Canada moment that is so essential to the sovereignty and success of Canada.” said Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and the minister for FedNor. “What we’re seeing now with the withdrawal of the United States from important agreements and the imposition of illegal tariffs is that no one will come to our rescue. We ourselves can build more than anyone can take away from us.”
Alstom is among the largest private employers in Thunder Bay.
“We’re living in difficult times. Softwood Lumber is experiencing real problems, the paper market is horrible. It’s really good to have a victory. It’ll be good to see more jobs here,” said Marcus Powlowski, MP of Thunder Bay-Rainy River.
“I’m really happy for the workers here, that they’ll continue to have jobs in the coming years,” he added.
The contract will go into effect in 2028 and Unifor expects it to last between 3 to 4 years. There is a possibility of the contract extending up to 10 years.
