Former Oshawa Mayor: Boycott GM If Jobs Are Lost

Agree to a great extent with the many well thought comments on this thread. 1) In Ontario electricity rates should be low. For much of the 20th century they were. Incompetent management, the ill advised attempt to privatize Ontario Hydro (and then break it up) and the enormous waste and extended costs associated with nuclear power have all conspired to destroy this. My employer is a manufacturer in Ontario and the cost of electricity has become a major concern. Why do some American states import electricity from Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland) at a lower rate than the locals in the generating area pay? 2) Oshawa's economy has diversified. Expansion of the health care infrastructure. Expansion of Durham College. The creation of the University of Ontario (Institute of Technology) have all greatly contributed. Public money spent on infrastructure once again proves to be of long term economic benefit. 3) As badly run and managed as GM Oshawa was (and is) it still has high quality assembly. Thankfully on this forum nobody has blamed the assembly workers for the deficiencies associated with GM's design and parts. 4) Money has no loyalty. Corporations exist only to make a profit. "The capitalists will sell us the very rope that we use to hang them". All true. 5) Based on #4 how can 1st world workers compete with 3rd world workers, toiling under indentured servitude, under corrupt overlords with little to no occupational health & safety, environmental or employment standards controls? In fact, why do we even bother to attempt to trade and compete with them? Hopefully I have retained enough privilege to be able to keep my Oshawa assembled Buick (with the 3800 engine) running for at least another decade.