Volkswagen defies Trump's tariffs and moves forward with its Canadian gigafactory

Volkswagen, through its subsidiary PowerCo, has announced the launch of an ambitious recruitment campaign for its future electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas, Canada. Initial production is planned for 2027, and the company says it is seeking to recruit hundreds of professionals in areas such as chemistry, information technology, engineering, and sustainability.

The selection process will be expanded in the coming months, with the goal of filling all the positions needed to launch the facility.

The gigafactory, which will be located in the northeast of the city, will have a surface area of up to 185,000 square meters and will provide direct employment to approximately 3,000 people, in addition to generating up to 30,000 indirect jobs.

This is Volkswagen's first electric vehicle battery plant in North America, with a $7 billion investment and an annual production capacity of up to 90 GWh. The manufactured batteries will be destined for vehicle assembly plants in the United States.

"It's the gift that keeps on giving," St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston told CBC News. "What this will do, including jobs across Canada, certainly in Northern Ontario, is supply the special ingredients needed for electric vehicle batteries."

Construction is expected to begin in the coming weeks, according to a statement from PowerCo. Preston noted that "the industrial park we created and that attracted PowerCo to St. Thomas continues to develop. Roads, water, sewer, new electrical towers, and a new rail yard are nearing completion, and the site where the factory will be located has already been graded and compacted. We will begin pouring concrete this summer."

The mayor emphasized that the plant's arrival will represent a "generational shift" for the region, offering manufacturing jobs of the future and preventing young people from having to leave to find employment opportunities.

The impact will also be felt in the local real estate market, as many future employees will establish their residence in the St. Thomas area. In the neighboring municipality of Central Elgin, the impending opening of the factory has led to consideration of redevelopment of the land formerly occupied by the St. Thomas Psychiatric Hospital.

The company's chief human resources officer, Norman Wickboldt, called the hiring campaign a "crucial step." "Electrified transportation is the future, and these jobs offer long-term opportunities for Canadians to be part of an innovative, clean energy industry," he said in a statement.

PowerCo currently has about 200 employees working out of an office in St. Thomas and expects that number to grow to 400 by the end of the year. "Almost every week, I meet someone new who has joined the team, many from St. Thomas, and others from far away," Preston said.