Toyota says it’s pausing production on all three Canadian manufacturing lines Thursday as the ongoing Ambassador Bridge blockades compound existing constraints tied to supply chain, weather and COVID-19 disruptions.
Blockades in solidarity with the so-called “Freedom Convoy” at the bridge connecting Windsor, Ont. to Detroit, Mich. are stretching into their fourth day, stymying what’s typically the busiest land border crossing in North America and causing delays at other ports of entry.
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada spokesperson Michael Bouilane said in an email to Global News on Thursday that supply shortages are affecting production at its North American plants, and specifically said disruptions at the Ambassador Bridge are affecting manufacturing in Canada and Kentucky.
Production is paused at Toyota’s three Ontario assembly lines: two in Cambridge and one in Woodstock, Bouilane confirmed.
While he said he expects disruptions to Toyota’s manufacturing through the weekend, the automaker does “not anticipate any impact to employment at this time.”
The temporary production outages come as automakers grapple with other pandemic-related supply chain challenges, including a semiconductor shortage that has hampered the new car market.
Ford Canada, which briefly shut down production at its Windsor engine plant on Wednesday, said via spokesperson Rose Pao in an email that its facilities in both Windsor and Oakville, Ont. were running at “reduced capacity” on Thursday.
Honda Canada spokesperson John Bordignon also said that the carmarker’s facility in Alliston, Ont. was briefly shut down “due to border delays” but was up and running again on Thursday.
“We continue to monitor the disruption of transportation between Canada and the U.S. and will adjust production scheduling as necessary. Further production delays as a result of these disruptions are certainly possible,” he said via email.
General Motors Canada confirmed in a statement that its plants were still running on Thursday, though one of the company’s American facilities shut down a production line on Wednesday due to part shortages.
Stellantis, maker of Chrysler and Dodge vehicles, also said its lines were running on Thursday.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance called on all levels of government to put an end to blockades disrupting borders and critical trade routes.
“Many of those who are protesting having their lives disrupted by certain policies are, in turn, ironically disrupting the lives of their fellow Canadians,” Stephen Laskowski, president of the Canadian Trucking Alliance, said in a statement.
“Whether it’s the dedicated truck driver who’s stuck at the border and unable to get home to his or her family or the factory worker who is sent home from work because critical products and raw materials aren’t being delivered, the only people who these blockades hurt are the hard-working Canadians who have kept our nation moving,” he said.
— with files from the Canadian Press