Allston, ONT. The Prime Minister of Canada and his Ontario counterpart affirmed in one voice that building hybrid vehicles at Honda’s modernized plant in Ontario will help maintain good jobs in the automotive sector.

Justin Trudeau and Doug Ford were in Allston Wednesday morning to formally announce the $131.6 million grant each government will provide to support the modernization and retrofitting of Honda Canada’s facilities in the city.

This plant will be modified to build 2023 CR-V and CR-V hybrid cars, according to Honda Canada. The automaker said it would cost $1.4 billion to retool the Ontario plant over six years.

Mr. Trudeau argued on Wednesday that this update should help create jobs and support a sustainable economic recovery from the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Ford said the announcement will help Ontario’s auto sector grow and ensure that “cars of the future” are manufactured in the province.

Prime Minister Ford previously said he wants to speed up electric vehicle manufacturing in Ontario, but his government has never committed to offering incentives, such as rebates, to encourage consumers to buy them.