The Oct. 28 ground breaking — which included the first concrete pours for the new facility — marked the first major step in the plant's journey towards a projected 2027 completion. The project's importance to Ontario's struggling auto sector is as immense as the building's footprint. A hiring drive was held earlier this year for the gigafactory, and continues to hire for positions, bringing a vast employment boost to St. Thomas, a town with just 43,000 residents. "The excitement in St. Thomas is palpable, as we celebrate this monumental construction milestone," said Preston of the ground breaking last month. The outlook for the short term is pretty bleak, and the federal government's budget presented in November 2025 has already been met with criticism from the auto sector.