Engines Ready: Unifor could restart production in early May
Toronto, Ontario — Unifor president Jerry Dias is “cautiously optimistic” that Canadian auto production plants will reopen in early May. “We will give the green light at the end of the day if our local union leadership feels comfortable with that,” said Dias, whose union represents nearly 15,000 hourly workers at Canadian Ford, General Motors […]
EV/AV Report: April 27, 2020
On consumer confidence Consumer confidence in future mobility technologies lags far behind automakers’ plans to bring self-driving and battery-electric vehicles to the marketplace, according to the J.D. Power 2020 Q1 Mobility Confidence Index Study fueled by SurveyMonkey Audience. According to the report, the Mobility Confidence Index for self-driving vehicles has decreased for the first time—to […]
Millions of Masks: GM Canada to make masks at idled Oshawa, Ont. plant
Toronto, Ontario — GM Canada announced Friday that it would be crafting face masks for health care professionals at its idled Oshawa, Ont. plant. The company said it is prepared portions of the Oshawa assembly plant, which closed its doors in Dec. 2019, to produce face masks based on the GM production model already working […]
Local Inspiration: CARSTAR’s corporate donation inspired by generosity of member locations
Toronto, Ontario — Carstar’s corporate team will donate $10,000 to a Hamilton, Ontario healthcare foundation, a move it describes as “inspired by the organic generosity sprouting within the organization” In a press release, the Carstar communications team announced it would be making a $10,000 to the St. Joseph’s Healthcare Foundation in Hamilton, Ontario — the […]
Teen Titan: Son of GM Forbes Collision manager crafts 2,000 ear guards for front line workers
Toronto, Ontario — Ray Lavoie, manager at GM Forbes Collision in Waterloo, Ont., says his 18-year-old son has been hard at work crafting much-need medical equipment for Canada’s front line workers. Nathan Lavoie, an 18-year-old Royal Canadian Air Cadet, should be enjoying his last few weeks of high school. Instead, the teen is sat in […]
Photo Opportunity: Solera, collision community say industry will move toward photo estimation
Toronto, Ontario — Solera executives worldwide have predicted that the COVID-19 response has accelerated the digitization of auto claims. During a Solera webinar on Apr. 15, Regional Managing Director Ramon Suarez, who oversees the U.S. and Latin America, said he had “no doubt” industry digitization has been sped up as a result of the COVID-19 […]
Tread Carefully: Doug Ford cautious about restart of auto industry
Toronto, Ontario — Ontario Premier Doug Ford doesn’t want the province’s automakers to resume production too quickly. Ontario is home to seven assembly plants operated by five automakers. Several plants are planning to resume operations in early May, though Ford seemed cautiously optimistic on Monday when he was asked when the province would be open […]
Smashed Windshield Saviour: London, Ont. recycler fixes damaged cars free-of-charge
London, Ontario — When Bill Wyatt heard several cars were damaged at a Sarnia retirement home already reeling from COVID-19, he wanted to help out. So, Corey Auto Wreckers offered to have the smashed glass of the cars parked at Landmark Village repaired free of charge. “Just the whole circumstances of this virus going around […]
SAAR Says: Saskatchewan shop survey reveals most repairers have laid-off employees during epidemic
Regina, Saskatchewan — A new survey from the Saskatchewan Association of Automotive Repairers has found that more than seven-in-ten provincial business owners have laid-off part of their workforce since the coronavirus pandemic began. The survey, which covered a number of topics, received responses from 99 SAAR members. When it asked “have you had to lay […]
Keeping Things Moving: Porsche Canada offers free roadside assistance to healthcare workers
Toronto, Ontario — As the global number of confirmed coronavirus cases creeps toward 2.5 million, Porsche Canada is stepping up to offer free roadside assistance to Ontarian healthcare workers. The luxury automaker will be offering roadside assistance services to approximately 235,000 frontline workers until May 31, 2020. They don’t have to be driving a Porsche […]
