well it appears no one is talking about it so i will start. what is up with g-m closing the oshawa plant? pretty much a century of auto manufacturing there that will be gone with what, 5-6 weeks notice. humph! it's not like we all haven't had a piece of it in our lifetime's in one form or another if we are in this hobby.
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"if you are not the lead dog, the view is all the same"
Take a drive down Ontario St in St Catharines and look at the mess they left when GM pulled out of that plant.
Some Development Group bought the property and started tearing everything out but one of the Partners took the scrap money and ......vamonos....
Nothing but a litter filled sh!t hole left. Local spin-off business like pizza shops, taverns, etc closing up. Food banks and Support Agencies that rely on the goodwill of both the business and the employees are suffering - which means folks who really need the help are suffering.
It's brutal on the local economy when these large employers pull up stakes. Guess that's why my Dad always said " don't put all your eggs in one basket.
This is so typical of GM to bring this out just before Christmas. Ford closed up in St.Thomas/London a few years ago. When you work for these large companies you have to keep your fingers crossed that you will get your time in before the "FOR SALE" sign goes up. No sense starting at one of these large companies that has had that location for 50 or so years. Just my opinion. When CAT bought the GM Locomotive plant in London they closed it up a few years later. They sold off lots of technology and moved the rest to Indiana. I hear it is not building Cho-Chos anymore. GM said that the cars are not selling. It's rare in this area anyway that you see a late model IMPALA but Equinox they are everywhere!! JMO TMJ
GM has been trying to close out Canadian operations for years. It has steadily been closing or reducing capacities at all of its operations here. The only reason its still here is because our Gov,t has been pouring taxpayer dollars in to keep it afloat. GM is at the mercy of the UAW which keeps pressuring for more U S jobs . That pressure has worked better since Mexico came in to the picture.
GM has been trying to close out Canadian operations for years. It has steadily been closing or reducing capacities at all of its operations here. The only reason its still here is because our Gov,t has been pouring taxpayer dollars in to keep it afloat. GM is at the mercy of the UAW which keeps pressuring for more U S jobs . That pressure has worked better since Mexico came in to the picture.
That is another aspect that really irritates me. General Electric, Westinghouse, Massey-Ferguson, Firestone....just to name a few who received a TON of taxpayers dollars, then shortly after - vamonos.
Few in my family ever worked for large Industry. farming, heavy equipment operators, trades and some Municipal. I think I was the first in 2 or 3 generations to work in a factory (TRW St Cath) but after a head/neck injury they tossed me to the curb. Took 11 years to get any resolution. Bast*rds.
I've said for some years now that the so called "middle class" in Ontario(and most of the rest of Canada) has served it's purpose as far as "those who hold the purse-strings Globally" are concerned. Before we start getting too "uppity" it's time to put us back where we belong because after all, "they" don't want to lose their hold on the wealth.
So, remove the steady employment, jack the home prices into the stratosphere, tax the hell out of us, decimate the health care system, cause both parents to have to work so the State can raise the next generation they way "they" want them to think.
Look at school boards today, look at the power they wield and the influence they have over the way you want to raise your own children.
Hold onto your hat's folks, it's gonna be a bumpy ride.....
Take a drive down Ontario St in St Catharines and look at the mess they left when GM pulled out of that plant. Some Development Group bought the property and started tearing everything out but one of the Partners took the scrap money and ......vamonos.... Nothing but a litter filled sh!t hole left. Local spin-off business like pizza shops, taverns, etc closing up. Food banks and Support Agencies that rely on the goodwill of both the business and the employees are suffering - which means folks who really need the help are suffering. It's brutal on the local economy when these large employers pull up stakes. Guess that's why my Dad always said " don't put all your eggs in one basket.
sounds somewhat similar to what is happening in peterborough with the G-E plant there finally closing up. at least 6 to 8 city blocks in the heart of town with most of it contaminated with p.c.b.'s from many years of diesel electric motors being produced there for the railways, 4 or 5000 people there in their hay-days.
__________________
"if you are not the lead dog, the view is all the same"
This is so typical of GM to bring this out just before Christmas. Ford closed up in St.Thomas/London a few years ago. When you work for these large companies you have to keep your fingers crossed that you will get your time in before the "FOR SALE" sign goes up. No sense starting at one of these large companies that has had that location for 50 or so years. Just my opinion. When CAT bought the GM Locomotive plant in London they closed it up a few years later. They sold off lots of technology and moved the rest to Indiana. I hear it is not building Cho-Chos anymore. GM said that the cars are not selling. It's rare in this area anyway that you see a late model IMPALA but Equinox they are everywhere!! JMO TMJ
this one shouldn't of been allowed to happen, " When CAT bought the GM Locomotive plant in London they closed it up a few years later. They sold off lots of technology and moved the rest to Indiana."
g-m received multi-multi millions of tax dollars to develop that technology in R & D grants from the feds. when CAT bought the place and closed it up they should of been handed a bill from the feds for all the r and d money that was put in to develop that tech and not staying in canada.
__________________
"if you are not the lead dog, the view is all the same"
Take a drive down Ontario St in St Catharines and look at the mess they left when GM pulled out of that plant. Some Development Group bought the property and started tearing everything out but one of the Partners took the scrap money and ......vamonos.... Nothing but a litter filled sh!t hole left. Local spin-off business like pizza shops, taverns, etc closing up. Food banks and Support Agencies that rely on the goodwill of both the business and the employees are suffering - which means folks who really need the help are suffering. It's brutal on the local economy when these large employers pull up stakes. Guess that's why my Dad always said " don't put all your eggs in one basket.
sounds somewhat similar to what is happening in peterborough with the G-E plant there finally closing up. at least 6 to 8 city blocks in the heart of town with most of it contaminated with p.c.b.'s from many years of diesel electric motors being produced there for the railways, 4 or 5000 people there in their hay-days.
Thats happening everywhere. In Niagara Falls every major manufacturer has left this city resulting in the loss of several thousand good paying jobs. You couldnt count the number of closings on both hands & feet. The Cyanamid plants alone cost 6-7 thousand jobs in its heyday. Pretty well all of them went south.
Here we go again. People are not buying the cars GM makes there. You have to run a business at a profit. If someone hands me money,yes I will take it. Employment is not garrentteed. When Sears and Target shut down there was little noise. Why is this any different? You need to look after yourself and your future.
