Share
HAMILTON—Unifor has signed a memorandum of understanding with Biidaaban Renewable Energy that opens the door for Local 593 members to return to work this summer at the Hamilton biodiesel facility, nearly a year after the plant's previous owner moved to close it permanently.
"When we lose a plant like this, we lose good jobs and we lose a piece of Canada's energy independence," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "Bringing these workers back shows that when governments and employers make the right choices, we can keep skilled jobs and critical infrastructure here at home."
The agreement comes as the facility at Pier 14 in the Port of Hamilton restarts under new ownership. Unifor campaigned for Ontario to require a minimum amount of Canadian made content in its diesel fuel, following a policy already in place in British Columbia. In July 2025, Ontario moved to require that at least 75 per cent of the renewable content in diesel be produced in Canada. That change helped restore the market conditions needed to bring the plant back online.
"Our members never gave up on this facility, and neither did we," said Unifor Ontario Regional Director Samia Hashi. "This agreement means Hamilton keeps skilled energy jobs, and Ontario keeps the ability to make biofuel."
Biidaaban Renewable Energy is a new company majority owned by the Mississaugas of the Credit Business Corporation, the business arm of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Biodiesel is a renewable fuel made largely from vegetable oils, animal fats and recycled cooking oil, and the Hamilton plant is one of the few places in Ontario that produces it.
In July 2025, Biox Corporation issued termination notices to Local 593 members and announced the permanent shutdown of the Hamilton refinery, which had been idle for more than a year. Unifor warned that the closure put good energy jobs and a strategic piece of Canadian infrastructure at risk, driven by a flood of subsidized imported biodiesel and weak provincial fuel rules.
Unifor is Canada's largest union in the private sector, representing 320,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
