gm closure

Toronto is considering banning the purchase of GM vehicles

General Motors has been making headlines for the past few months after news of a plant closure threatened to put a few thousand people out of work while also dealing a blow to the provincial economy.

The closure is also expected to have an impact on almost 15,000 people in related industries, like parts suppliers. 

Unifor, a union representing many of the workers, says every job at the soon-to-close GM plant is tied to seven jobs in the Oshawa community, where the plant was located. 

As a result, many were furious that the trend of moving Canadian and American jobs to places like Mexico is continuing. 

Strikes broke out following the closure announcement, prompting local, provincial, and federal governments to weigh in. 

One such example is a new proposal to Toronto City Council, in which the city would no longer purchase GM vehicles for its fleet. 

Councillor Mike Layton has proposed that any GM vehicle built in Mexico be banned from sale to the City of Toronto, adding that "our purchasing power as a city is worth something." 

Jim Karygiannis, councillor for Ward 22, added that the boycott may just bring enough attention to the car-manufacturing company to not make the same decision again.

The motion will be debated at council this week. 

Lead photo by

Abdullah AlBargan


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