The electric vehicle battery plant being built in Windsor, Ontario, will temporarily employ hundreds of South Koreans, the company NextStar Energy has confirmed.
The Liberal government has downplayed throughout the week information from the Windsor Police to the effect that 1,600 South Korean workers would be coming to help set up the plant subsidized by $15 billion in taxpayer funds. The information came from a meeting with the South Korean ambassador.
The South Korean embassy has also confirmed to The Epoch Times that its citizens would be in Canada temporarily to work on the plant.
NextStar Energy told this publication in a statement that during the construction of the plant, approximately 1,600 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) technicians would be involved in the project. NextStar is the name of the joint venture between European carmaker Stellantis and South Korean company LG Energy Solutions.
NextStar says the technicians employed by external technology suppliers will assemble, install, and test the “highly technical specialized” equipment to produce batteries.
“Up to 900 of these technicians will be temporary specialized global supplier staff, predominantly from South Korea,” says NextStar. The company says those workers have the specific knowledge to perform the installation and their work could last between three months to a year and a half, after which they will return home.
The company also reiterated it remains committed to creating 2,500 full-time positions for locals in Windsor. The construction company building the plant will also employ 1,600 Canadian tradespeople directly and through subcontractors.
“The Embassy understands from NextStar Energy that South Koreans mentioned by Windsor Police on X will be in Canada to assemble and install highly specialized and technical equipment,” said an email statement from Sungeun Lee, a culture and public affairs attaché with the embassy.
‘Disinformation’
The Liberal government has had various responses to the matter throughout the week, downplaying the issue or dismissing the information as “disinformation.”Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the same session said that Conservative Party Leader Pierre was falling “prey to disinformation” in choosing to attack the Stellantis deal, and that NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh was “speaking out against the Stellantis deal based on nothing but rumours and disinformation.”
Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the 1,600 number didn’t “seem credible.” Meanwhile, Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said that only one foreign worker had been approved to work on the project.
Liberal MP Ryan Turnbull, who serves as parliamentary secretary to Mr. Champagne, suggested concerns about foreign workers stemmed from “xenophobia” during an industry committee meeting on Nov. 22.
He also derided those who took at face value the information coming from Windsor Police. “It doesn’t make sense to me that you would consider that as factual,” he said.
