Toronto, Ontario — In this weekly Tuesday Ticker, Tesla taps an Ontario government official for its supply chain efforts; Rivian plants and suggestive job posting and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau discusses potential critical mineral opportunities with South Korea’s president.
Tesla taps into Ontario
Tesla has hired an Ontario government official to focus on the company’s critical material supply chain efforts, Electric Autonomy reported last week.
Aleem Ladak is a Toronto-based mining engineer with a background as a senior mineral economist and battery mineral advisor at the Ontario Ministry of Energy, Northern Development and Mines. According to documents obtained by Electric Autonomy Canada, Ladak is now working alongside Tesla, focused on government policy for critical minerals and supply chains.
Ladak is expected to assist Tesla’s efforts to establish a stronger Canadian supply chain.
The outlet first reported Tesla’s plan to hire a Canadian supply chain rep in April 2022. Tesla had released a job listing suggesting the successful applicant would “work on a variety of matters related to light- and heavy-duty vehicle regulation, in addition to a particular focus on global battery minerals and responsible sourcing policy.”
Electric Autonomy claims the timing of Ladak’s hiring suggests he filled the aforementioned role.
Ready at Rivian?
Rivian is reportedly seeking a Vehicle Registration Operations Specialist in Vancouver, B.C.—suggesting the automaker could soon start delivering its first vehicles to Canadian customers.
“As Vehicle Registration Operations Specialist, you will either directly execute or indirectly facilitate vehicle registration and vehicle license applications on behalf of Rivian customers,” reads the job posting on Rivian’s site.
The hiring notice and suggestion of soon-to-follow Canadian vehicle deliveries align with Collision Repair’s own knowledge that the electric automaker has visited collision facilities in Toronto and other Canadian cities as recently as August 2022.
In its March 2022 10-K filing, Rivian said it hoped to complete Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS) test by September 2022.
Supply chats with South Korea
This week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will meet with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to reportedly discuss trade issues around electric vehicles (EVs), critical minerals and supply chains.
According to Trudeau’s plans, the two countries will discuss ways to improve trade relationships while addressing trade and security concerns.
South Korea is Canada’s seventh-largest trading partner; the seventh-largest merchandise export market and the sixth-largest source of merchandise imports, says the Government of Canada.
