HMT-Roger

As Bill Leddy approaches his 48th birthday, the Lakeshore man faces an uncertain future once he returns to the CAW layoff list that will grow longer when Ford of Canada’s St. Thomas assembly plant closes its doors for good last week.

“I’m back on the layoff list,” said Leddy. “The chances of getting off it aren’t very good. Ford is the top-selling automaker in Canada, but they’re not investing in the country that’s been really good to them.

“It’s kind of sad.”

Ford announced the closure of the St. Thomas facility in 2009 as part of a global restructuring that led to the elimination of 28 plants worldwide, noted Lauren More, spokeswoman for the carmaker.

At its peak, the St. Thomas plant employed 2,400 workers on two shifts and assembled the Crown Victoria, Lincoln Town Car and Mercury Grand Marquis. But demand for the larger rear-wheel cars steadily declined over the last decade, prompting Ford to reduce the plant to one shift with about 1,200 workers.

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