A timeline of Stellantis’ assembly plant in Brampton, Ont.

Roman Shimonov, the CEO of armored vehicle manufacturer Roshel, is responding to criticism of his company's purchase of the idled Stellantis plant in Brampton, Ontario. He insists that the deal is "the best thing that can happen to this plant and to this city." Shimonov expresses surprise that the government hasn't publicly backed the sale, given Roshel's plan to generate thousands of jobs at the facility.

His Brampton-based company is prepared to rehire some of the 2,000 Stellantis employees who were laid off when the plant ceased operations in 2023. Unifor national president Lana Payne questioned why Roshel chose the Brampton plant and raised doubts about the need for a defense contractor to hire as many workers as previously employed there.

The Stellantis sale is expected to close by the end of the year, subject to government and regulatory requirements.