GM closing all operations in Oshawa, Ont.: sources

CTVNews.ca Staff

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Numerous sources have told CTV Toronto that General Motors is planning to close all operations in Oshawa, Ont., affecting thousands of high-paying jobs.

The announcement is expected to be made on Monday, in the city of about 159,000 people located roughly 60 kilometres east of Toronto.

Sources said they believe the Oshawa closures are part of a global restructuring.

There are currently about 2,500 union positions and roughly 300 salaried employees in the Oshawa area. GM employs many more in Ingersoll, Markham and St. Catharines. It’s unclear if those positions are affected.

Outgoing Oshawa Mayor John Henry told CTV Toronto’s Miranda Anthistle that he’s “hoping it’s just a rumour” because GM is a “huge economic engine to the community.”

At one point, GM employed 40,000 workers in the Oshawa area.

“My entire family has worked at General Motors,” said Henry. “My dad was a foreman in the plant. I have two brothers in the plant. My sister worked there in university. I worked there as a contractor.”

At the same time, Henry said that Oshawa’s economy has diversified so that it is no longer dependent on the auto industry.

“It’s very different now than when I was growing up, when everyone you knew was working in the plant,” he said.

“We’ve diversified and we have a lot of other things going on,” he added. “But the car industry is still a big part of our community.”

RELATED IMAGES General Motors in Oshawa, Ont., on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2018. (The Canadian Press / Frank Gunn)