Workers Exit Plant Amid Shift Cuts
On a chilly Friday morning at 6:30 a.m., autoworkers at General Motors’ Oshawa plant clocked out for the final time, stepping into the cold as layoffs commenced. The company is eliminating one of its three shifts, impacting up to 1,200 workers throughout the automotive supply chain.
Kendrick Gordon, who worked for a subcontractor at the facility, expressed mixed emotions outside the plant on his last day. “A lot of people have some sort of resentment, but you’ve just got to go on, move on,” he said.
Personal Stories of Uncertainty
Stephen Hyde, aged 66, also faced job loss that morning after three years with TFT, a parts supplier to GM, following a 34-year tenure directly with the automaker. He described an “empty feeling in the pit of my stomach” upon leaving. Hyde is contemplating relocation to Alberta, where he has family in Edmonton, due to limited opportunities in Ontario. “The unknown is really bad, because there’s not a lot of jobs in Ontario,” he noted. “Jobs are disappearing quickly.”
Hyde urged Prime Minister Mark Carney to negotiate a deal with U.S. President Donald Trump to counter ongoing tariffs affecting Canadian industries. “Right now, Ontario is not looking very good at all,” he added.
Government Response to Layoffs
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly labeled the GM layoffs “completely unacceptable” during remarks in Montreal on Friday. “If GM doesn’t want to continue to invest more in Canada, we will invest in other players,” she stated. “We’ll fight for these workers and we’ll find them jobs.”
Joly mentioned a meeting with GM executives the previous day, where she demanded the return of government funds. In 2022, federal and Ontario governments pledged up to $259 million each for GM’s Oshawa plant and the CAMI facility in Ingersoll. However, GM announced the Ingersoll closure in October, citing low demand for its electric BrightDrop delivery vans, resulting in indefinite layoffs for most of the 1,200 employees there. “We want justice for Canadian taxpayers, who have no time for those who don’t believe in us,” Joly emphasized.
Challenges in the Local Job Market
Laid-off workers in Oshawa confront an unemployment rate of 8.6 percent, exceeding provincial and national figures. Todd Forbes, recently let go from TFT, highlighted the strain on the market. “It’s pretty bad to start with, and then you add all these extra people in the market,” he said. Forbes anticipates competing directly with former colleagues for scarce positions and is weighing a move elsewhere, though relocation costs pose a significant hurdle without a firm job offer.
Experts note that job searches prove especially daunting for those over 55. Rob Elkington, an assistant professor of business at Trent University, pointed out barriers like limited employer-sponsored training. “Many training systems are not designed for the learning needs of older workers … and even some of the pension and retirement income rules inadvertently penalize continued workforce participation,” he explained.
Opportunities and Sector Shifts
While some workers eye opportunities beyond Ontario, local prospects exist in Durham Region. Elkington referenced the planned mini nuclear power plant in Bowmanville, expected to generate 18,000 construction jobs and sustain 3,700 energy positions annually for 65 years. Growth in tech and manufacturing sectors could also absorb talent, provided policymakers help autoworkers adapt their skills to these emerging fields.
GM plans to shift production from Oshawa to Indiana, exacerbating the local economic pressures as workers navigate an increasingly competitive landscape.
