1965
GM opened its Oshawa plant producing trucks, vans, and buses. Back then, in the 70’s gas cost about 13 cents/litre and GM expanded and upgraded its facilities, winning many awards. Lets skip ahead to 2005.

2005
Ontario tax payers pay $235 million as part of GM’s Beacon project (60 million went to R&D). Gas is at 90 cents/litre.

2007
Silverado wins North American Truck of the year. GM also announced the Oshawa plant will produce hybrid versions of the 2009 Sierra and Silverado. Gas is at 98 cents/litre.

2008
Today gas costs $1.3 dollars/littre and rising. GM decides to close down the plant, 1 of 4 announced closings in North America laying off thousands of works who have been the reason for GM’s success since 1965.

I stand in solidarity with Oshawa plant workers, whom GM turned its back on and for what? So that it could increase its bottom line by a few percentage points instead of makings its trucks more fuel efficient, as Honda and Toyota have been doing for years. Instead, thousands of Canadian workers will be struggling to support their families while the management, who have failed to see the trend of higher has prices and compete, gets to blame it all on the “economy”. I would not be surprised if, thanks to their incompetent management, GM would become extinct within the next decade as gas prices continue to go up and demand for inefficient GM gas guzzlers continues to decrease.

In late 2007, it was planned that the Oshawa plant would produce hybrid versions of the 2009 Sierra and Silverado. Thats the type of manufacturing that the Provincial government should support. I hope GM reconsiders its decision and starts competing in the fuel efficient market because so far, this has been a huge public relations disaster.