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in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, J an ua ry 1 8, 2 01 8 | K NEWS Oakville Assembly Plant to m anufacture Ford Edge ST Ford photo Ford Edge ST. wa. DAVID LEA dlea@oakvillebeaver.com OAKVILLE - Unifor Lo­ cal 707 president Dave Thomas is calling Ford's decision to build a re­ vamped version of the Edge SUV at the Oakville Assembly Plant evidence of the company's commit­ ment to Canada and Oak­ ville. The auto giant an­ nounced Thursday, Jan. 11 that the Oakville plant would be manufacturing the new Edge ST. According to Ford the vehicle not only features superior handling and braking and the most pow­ erful V6 engine in its class, but is also sporting more standard driver-assist technology than any other mid-size SUV including post-collision braking, evasive steering assist and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go and lane centring. "This is great news for our operations at Oakville Assembly and the highly- skilled employees who work there," said Lauren More, vice president of communications with Ford Motor Company of Canada. "Edge is a global success story- it is already export­ ed to more than 100 coun­ tries. And now, Oakville Assembly will be produc­ ing the smartest, most ad­ vanced Edge ever." Despite this announce­ ment, More said there are currently no plans for ad­ ditional hiring at the as­ sembly plant. That said, More noted the company would be keeping an eye on the mar­ ket demand for the re­ vamped vehicle. Ontario Minister of Economic Development and Growth Brad Duguid also welcomed the news and spread the word on so­ cial media. "So happy to hear that @Ford Canada will be building its redesigned Edge SUV at its Oakville plant. Great news for the Ontario auto sector," he said on Twitter. The move comes a year after Ford pledged $1.2 bil­ lion over four years to re­ tool its Canadian plants and create a research and engineering centre in Otta- It was part of a contract deal negotiated in Novem­ ber 2016 between Ford and Unifor that saw the auto­ maker invest $600 million into its assembly plant in Windsor and $100 million to upgrade the assembly plant in Oakville. The news also comes at a time when the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement is in question. The announcement was well received by Thomas, whose union local repre­ sents the 4,600 employees at the plant. "It is always good be­ cause it does drive some more investment into the Oakville plant," he said. "It does kind of show that they are committed to Canada and they are com­ mitted to Oakville, so this is a good sign for us. This does bode well for the fu­ ture of Oakville. There is no doubt about it." Production for the Edge ST is expected to begin at the Oakville plant in the summer. Thomas said the one cloud on horizon is that Ford is planning to phase out production of the Ford Flex, which is currently manufactured at the Oak­ ville plant, in 2020. He questions whether this new line will be enough to replace that loss. "We are going to need something to replace it that is for sure," said Thomas. "We'll have to see how the demand is for the Edge ST. We're hoping this line will take off and be viable for us for years to come." CELEBRATING 10 YEARS OF RECOGNIZING IMMIGRANT ACHIEVERS Do you know an inspiring im m igrant w ho has made a positive im pact in Canada? Recognize and celebrate their achievements by nom inating them for this coveted national aw ard by Feb 27 , 2 0 1 8 . 2018 NOM INATIONS N O W OPEN Visit canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 Title sponsor: Presented by: Media sponsors: Royal Bank CANADIAN IMMIGRANT metre SBBS AyA KITCHENS OF OAKVILLE 1195 NORTH SERVICE ROAD WEST r KITCHENS OF OAKVILLE A YA O A K VILLE.CO M mailto:dlea@oakvillebeaver.com CELEBRATING 10 YEARS 2018 NOMINATIONS NOW OPEN Visit canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 CANADIAN IMMIGRANT AYAOAKVILLE.COM