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There is a business case for the closing. You just can't compete in Canada in manufacturing. Tossing more money after bad is not going to help. GM can close the plant as they said.. but I think they still own Canada a bit https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/loans-canada-account-finance-auto-sector-bailout-2009-gm-chrysler-1.4722529 Don't let them take one piece of hardware to move it to Mexico until they paid back our Money. As for the loss of jobs. I have known a number of companies getting rid of employee's and not a word from government but when its the auto sector its different? Ask someone in Alberta how the Feds are helping them https://business.financialpost.com/commodities/energy/100000-jobless-energy-workers-struggle-for-a-place-in-the-new-economy Job losses are going to be the new norm for a few years to come until Canada starts acting like a country and standing up for the middle class. This is not a USA / Mexico / Canada / China issue. It's we just need fair policy and environment to compete. This weird notion that the high tech sector will save us all ended in 2001 when they figured off-shoring was cheaper than workers in Canada. Until our leaders realize that you can only hire so many new government workers before you run out of money expect more of the same.

Well let me tell you something - you ain't seen nothing yet - wait until the full force of Artificial Intelligence and more robotics take over - all these manufacturing type jobs and manual jobs will be toast - so what do you do about it? - get some kind of skill that is not easily duplicated

I turned 85 this past Saturday - Buck season started today - this is the first time in approximately 60 some years that I didn't get out of bed to go hunting - for some reason I just didn't have the urge as I always had when it came to deer hunting - I'm trying to figure why this happened - the one thing contributing to this lack of urge is maybe the fact that I have a sore shoulder and can't really pick up any heavy thing with my left arm right now - or is it this thing that happens to everyone eventually when they get old - I don't really know - I'm in very good shape for my age - I always butchered my deer and maybe the thought of all that work kinda turned me off this time - maybe it was the rain that was falling this morning when I got up to take a leak - all my buddies that I used to go hunting with quite years ago and I was the only one still hunting - I guess I will find out this coming Saturday when we can shoot buck and doe and I got a doe license - I will see what happens - hope it isn't a permanent thing that got a hold of me

Now that would be a surprise if it walked up on you at first light. Glad she got some video.

Finally , someone has put an end to $60 an hour to install windshield wiper blades or to screw on a tail light etc etc.

I'll hold your beer while you climb up the crap covered dead tree full of angry birds to step on their nests!

My son is an engineer working for GM at the technical center in Warren Michigan. He was sent to the truck assembly plant in Texas; to find out why some of these trucks had a server engine vibration. What he found was that some of the frames were not parallel to each other; causing the engine mounts to be stretched or crushed to their limits. After some investigating he also found that all the frames that came out of St Thomas Ontario were perfect. The bad frames were all made in Mexico. So you ask my son what he thinks of out sourcing, to save a few bucks. He spent a few weeks down there to come up with wedge shims to be placed between the frame perches and mounts to center the engines. When he got back he asked Chevrolet's lead engineer if the bean counters were going to be held accountable; rather then his engineering department. All he got from his boss was shrugged shoulders. Dan.

Nothing to add. Just wanted to say tho, for a bunch of fishbums yer all making some smart comments. Good thread to follow... Watched the news today, that Riaz, Rios whatever guy going on about how GM's in for a fight, then some Union Reps getting riled up... Just kinda thought to myself, it does suck for the workers, families and even Province too, but the dark clouds have been coming for some time, so I hope folks were wise to prepare for it as much as much as possible.

I worry about the same thing. Never discount the trades, someone willing to get their hands dirty and take some pride in their work will always be busy. So many thoughts bouncing around my head about GM shutting down. So many factors leading up to this closure. -Cost of living and debt levels have risen faster than wages, causing a push for higher wages. Used to be able to buy a house working a job with just a high school education, not so much these days. But at the same time we're responsible for the rising cost of living as our culture of consumerism constantly raises our living standards as we want more stuff and are encouraged to borrow more and more. -Between the drive clean program and the 0% financing that was available during the economic crisis more people are driving new cars than ever. Leading to a slump in sales, since most people who were looking to replace a car have responded to incentives. Probably saw growth through the early millennium, with a plateau shortly after the recession. They managed to keep the plants running, but it's hurting them now. -I feel that the manufacturers and the dealerships don't have the same goals in mind. Things such as selling cars at below purchase price in order to meet sales targets, so that the dealership receives the bonuses required in order be profitable. (Excellent podcast for any interested in dealership shenanigans -> https://www.thisamericanlife.org/513/129-cars . -Cars are so complex and technologically advanced these days that prices become astronomical. Once again we're the source of our own problem, as consumers want gadgets and gizmos; and the environmental regulations require complicated control systems. Not saying that environmental regulations are necessarily bad in and of themselves, but can be taken past the point of common sense. I think that we're going to see a lot of cars scapped in the future because of electronics issues, costs a lot to buy the auto upfront and costs a lot to troubleshoot and repair the computerized modules when they break down.

just some points - it's a capitalist system, GM can do whatever they want, it's the promises they broke to get a bail out that isn't cool - GM has been profitable for years, netting billions after getting a grant from the Ontario tax payers pockets for billions -the NA auto workers wage represents about 6% of a vehicle sticker price -GM uses the excuse they want to concentrate on self driving and electric cars, that makes no sense, I guess Mexicans are better at assembling electric cars, lol -the Canadian union for GM Oshawa says the closing will result in a loss of 1 billion in yearly tax dollars collected, prov. and fed combined I have a 3 year old son. I'm worried what the job market will look like when he is ready to hit the work force. I want him to strive a lot higher than an auto worker, but the erosion of the middle class is disturbing.

No jack plate, I thought about picking up a used manual plate on the cheap from the states but then whats the point if you cant do it on the fly...i guess you could screw around with prop to pad a bit, but the process of taking it in and out of the water to squeeze 4 extra MPH out of it when i never drive it that fast anyways is something for a day when i have a lot more money lol. the thing does between 49-51 with another person in the boat without much playing around...plenty fast enough for me. Hell we got caught on Lake Marion with a nasty storm coming in and 4 of us in the boat and she still did 47mph back to camp!