https://www.unifor.org/en/what-auto-industry-means-ontario
What the Auto Industry Means to Ontario
August 6, 2015
The Industry
- Five major automakers operate car and light truck assembly plants in Ontario: Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda and Toyota. And heavy trucks are produced by Hitachi and Hino.
- Ontario’s auto industry also comprises a highly-developed parts sector, including manufacturers’ in-house engine and transmission plants, and over 600 independent parts facilities.
- 2,382,208 vehicles were built in Ontario in 2014 (or 6,527 per day), the most of any state or provincial jurisdiction in North America.
- The Ontario industry produced vehicles and parts worth $73 billion in 2014, (or $201 million per day).
Jobs and the Economy
- The auto industry directly employs 101,000 people in Ontario, 85% of the Canadian total.
- Auto workers’ paycheques contributed $6.1 billion to the Ontario economy in 2014 (or $17 million per day).
- Thousands more jobs are created to supply the auto industry: jobs in steel, plastics and other manufacturing and services. More jobs are created by the spending power of auto workers’ paycheques.
- The major original equipment manufacturing operations in Ontario are estimated to stimulate 311,000 additional jobs throughout the economy.
Provincial Impact
- Ontario’s auto industry accounted for $63 billion worth of international exports in 2014, fully one third of the province’s total.
- Auto is by far Ontario’s most important export industry, the value of auto exports is 30% higher than those from agriculture, food manufacturing, forestry, mining and primary metals combined.
- As a crucial source of high-technology investment and productivity growth, the industry boosts our economic performance. The benefits of the auto industry are felt throughout the province through supplier links, tax revenue and consumer spending.
Supporting Our Communities
- The industry supports services that we all depend upon, like health care, education and social services. In 2014, Ontario auto workers paid $2.0 billion in income, payroll and sales taxes (or $5.5 million per day).
- Most auto workers own their homes, and Ontario auto worker households also supported $411 million in municipal taxes in 2014 (or $1.1 million per day), helping to pay for local services.
- Auto workers’ fundraising efforts also directly support community organizations such as the United Way, women’s shelters and food banks.