Unifor members have voted to approve General Motors Canada's plan to invest $1 billion in an electric vehicle plant in southern Ontario.

Large-scale commercial production of BrightDrop EV 600s, an all-electric van, is set to begin next year, according to GM Canada.

A former employee of General Motors says several workers don't plan on returning to the Oshawa plant, despite the fact hundreds of jobs are returning. 

"We made sure that we properly stayed under the legislated caps."

Despite the agreement, the city is still trying to ensure it diversifies its economy to avoid being reliant on the auto industry. 

The deal covers 1,700 workers in St. Catharines, Oshawa and Woodstock in Ontario.

On Thursday morning, nearly 50 workers set up a picket line at Weston Foods bakery in an industrial park near St. John's.

The announcement came after the company reached a tentative contract agreement with Unifor.

The union representing Canadian workers at General Motors says it has reached a tentative agreement after extending negotiations with the automaker.

About 1,400 workers at the province's 11 Dominion grocery stores have been on strike since late August.