Tensions mount between Canadian and Korean workers at Windsor EV battery plant

The controversy swirling around EV battery plants continues unabated. In fact, it’s getting even worse.

Consider the Nextstar EV battery plant in Windsor, Ont. Nextstar is a joint venture between Stellantis (Chrysler) and LG Energy Solution. This plant has received $15 billion in taxpayer subsidies from both the federal and provincial governments. This is a considerable gamble on the taxpayer dime regarding an “EV revolution” that may not even take place in the years ahead. But apologists of corporate welfare will argue that at least this money creates hundreds of well-paying jobs.

But is this even the case at the Nextstar plant?

As it turns out, an estimated 1,600 workers from South Korea are inexplicably on the payroll, all of whom will be flying back to Korea the moment the plant is completed. So the question arises: why are Canadian tax dollars paying for Korean jobs?

In a statement, Nextstar CEO Danis Lee said such workers have “proprietary knowledge and specialized expertise that is critical to the successful construction.” But Rebel News reached out to workers at the plant and they are calling bull on the CEO’s rationale. Indeed, they assert that there are plenty of skilled Ontarians who are being passed over in favour of foreigners. This has even created tensions at the job site between Canadian and Korean workers.

Even Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has weighed in on the situation, stating: “Now we learn that the $15 billion given to Stellantis will fund mostly jobs for non-Canadians… they will come here, get a taxpayer-funded paycheque, and take it back to their country.”

Workers at the plant have told Rebel News that the Ontario Ministry of Labour is allegedly investigating the Korean workers to make certain that they have the right qualifications. We reached out to Stellantis and the Ministry of Labour but no response was received.

Whether one is pro- or anti-EV, how does this plant make sense? It could very well end up as a white elephant — a financial sinkhole funded by your tax dollars and enriching foreign nationals in the process.