Dealer’s Choice: Ontario, Quebec Dealerships reopen to economic uncertainty
Toronto, Ontario — Auto dealerships in Ontario and most of Quebec have reopened for the first time since social distancing measure were introduced in March. Provincial officials in Quebec have delayed the reopening of facilities in Montreal until May 18. Despite reopening, dealerships continue to face challenges resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. Vehicle sales in […]
Keeping an Eye Out: CARSTAR on the contact-free future
Toronto, Ontario — CARSTAR Canada says services introduced to comply with current social distancing protocols could be here to stay when operations return to normal. During a broker-specific webinar on Tuesday, CARSTAR Canada General Manager Jeff Labanovich said it is likely that adapted contactless procedures like photo-based estimation and vehicle pick-up and drop off will […]
Watch NOW: Collision Repair’s Frame of Mind with Tim Morgan
Toronto, Ontario — Yesterday, Collision Repair hosted the first webinar of its Open Dialogue series, featuring Tim Morgan, chief operating officer of Spanesi Americas. Collision Repair’s Allison Rogers sat down with Tim to discuss his collision repair expertise, Spanesi’s latest technology and product offerings, how the company is supporting its customers through coronavirus, and answer […]
Customer Care in COVID: Speedy Collision goes above-and-beyond in home vehicle delivery
Calgary, Alberta — Mike and Cathy Nichol, the owners of Speedy Collision Airdrie in Airdrie, Alberta, have gone above and beyond to help their customers during COVID-19. When a single mother of three young boys living in a rural community outside of Airdrie was notified that her vehicle was ready for pickup, she informed Mike […]
Service Overhaul: COVID-19 accelerates the industry’s adoption of online infrastructure
Toronto, Ontario — COVID-19 has accelerated the industry’s adoption of improved online repair and digital payment infrastructure, according to the results of a recent Collision Repair survey. Nearly 50 percent of respondents said their business has implemented improved online repair updates and improve digital payment infrastructure since the outset of the coronavirus outbreak, while zero […]
Western Work: Craftsman Collision provides COVID-19 update
North Vancouver, British Columbia — Craftsman Collision says its multi-pronged approach to the COVID-19 pandemic has helped it weather the storm. The company said sales at the 43-shop chain slumped somewhat during the month of March, but only by 12 percent—less than required by the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidies (CEWS) available to businesses suffering declines […]
Act Amendment: British Columbia extends COVID-19 related temporary layoff period
Victoria, British Columbia — British Columbia’s provincial government has extended the temporary layoff period to 16 weeks for COVID-19 related reasons. The decision comes about two weeks after Automotive Retailers Association (ARA) President Adrian Scovell penned a letter to the province’s Joint Information Centre raising the layoff concern according to B.C.’s Employment Standard Act. Previously […]
Preemptive Protocols: FCA Canada prepares precautionary measures for reopen
Windsor, Ontario — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Canada has taken more physical steps toward restarting production in Ontario. The company’s Windsor, Ont. site has taken physical steps toward restarting production in Ontario by erecting medical tents in its parking lots and posting large COVID-19 signage on its gates. Employees arriving for their shifts are to […]
Sector Session: CARSTAR Canada hosting broker-specific webinar with Jeff Labanovich, GM
Toronto, Ontario — CARSTAR Canada will be hosting a broker-specific webinar session on the current state of Canada’s collision repair industry, The session, scheduled for May 12 at 1 p.m. EST, will include information on the changes within the collision industry since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic from CARSTAR Canada’s General Manager, Jeff Labanovich. […]
Layoff Liabilities: Automotive Retailers Association concerned over layoff time limits
Victoria, British Columbia — B.C.-based Automotive Retailers Association (ARA) has raised concerns over the province’s Employment Standards Act and its connections to COVID-19 layoffs. The Act states that a layoff exceeding 13 weeks in a period of 20 consecutive weeks is no longer considered a temporary layoff, but a termination. If the timeframe were to […]
