Greg Layson is the digital and mobile editor at Automotive News Canada. He was born, raised and educated in Windsor, Ont., long considered the automotive capital of Canada. He joined Automotive News Canada in in 2016 after a five-year stint at the CBC where he helped train the public broadcaster’s next generation of digital journalists from coast to coast to coast. Before that, he was an award-winning journalist at The Guelph Mercury, where he covered sports, spot news and federal politics. He attended both the University of Windsor and St. Clair College before a career that has spanned seven media outlets in three provinces. During his time away from work the father of three coaches youth baseball and basketball. His first car was a 1986 Pontiac Firebird, but he has always longed for a Porsche 911.
EV Supply Chain and the Ring of Fire
As for the conversation below you will find a list of framing questions for our conversation
- Introduce yourself, your background and how you ended up at Automotive News. What Automotive News is and your role there?
- Can you paint a picture of the Auto industry prior to COVID in SWO – Good Position, not so good etc.;
- How did COVID change the auto industry?
- EVs Strategy in Canada
- What is the goal?
- Ring of Fire Risks – Can we actually build the mines that are needed?
- Stellantis Saga and VW Announcement
- What happened – walk us through a timeline of what happened;
- Is a battery plant the same as a OEM Facility? Wages in US at battery plants are lower than assembly plants.
- Transition disruption – New jobs will be created but what about those lost? Ford says 40% fewer workers, VW says 30% fewer , Economic Policy Institute says 75k jobs will be lost in the US
- Labour – Union contracts are up this summer.
- What are you expecting in the collective bargaining?
- Who is coming in with a stronger hand – Labour or Management?
- If you live in SWO what should you be watching for in the auto industry over the next couple of years?
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