COVID Courtesy: Magna, GM and Honda give employees paid time off for vaccine
Toronto, Ontario — Magna International, General Motors Canada and Honda Canada are providing paid- time off for employees in Ontario to get the COVID-19 vaccine. While the vaccination policies differ slightly across the companies, none of them are requiring their employees to get vaccinated, however, they are merely encouraging it through education and paid time off. […]
Parking Lot Party: Car rally drew more than 300 cars to parking lot in Pickering this weekend, despite COVID-19 restrictions
Pickering, Ontario — Despite COVID-19 restrictions, hundreds of people gathered in a parking lot in Pickering, Ont. this Sunday for a not so impromptu car rally. According to the Durham Regional Police Service, the event, which attracted over 300 vehicles to a Walmart parking lot on Brock Road, was organized by several car clubs. Pickering Mayor […]
Boy Oh Boyd: Boyd Group unveils Q1 results, Canadian chains see 34 percent dip in revenues
Toronto, Ontario — According to financial results from the Boyd Group, the parent company of several auto glass and collision chains in North America, the company had a bit of a rough start financially to 2021. With sales decreasing by 9.9 percent to US$421.6 million from US$467.8 million in the same period of 2020. Boyd’s […]
Filling the Gap: Canadian transit companies step up after Greyhound announced its final departure
Toronto, Ontario — Last Thursday, Greyhound announced it will officially end operations in Canada. This news, while not entirely shocking considering the losses the company endured amid the pandemic, did raise questions about the future of transportation. Since Greyhound’s announcement, several companies across Canada have already stepped up to fill the gap in Canada’s passenger service. […]
Riding Shotgun: Hospital’s mobile vaccination units gets minivans and volunteer drivers from Toyota
Toronto, Ontario — As COVID-19 vaccination efforts continue to ramp up across the country, Women’s College Hospital (WCH) in Toronto received a welcome surprise when a local Toyota dealership offered three minivans—complete with volunteer drivers— to support the hospital’s mobile vaccination and testing program over the next six months. Women’s College Hospital is supporting Toronto […]
CEWS to the Rescue: CADA estimates that CEWS helped protect close to 48,000 automotive employees across Canada during the pandemic
Toronto Ontario — Findings from the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association’s (CADA) one-year survey regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on automobile dealers shows that the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS) has been a critical lifeline for dealerships and employees across Canada. The survey, conducted from April 1 to 15, 2021 collected responses from 535 […]
Navigating a New Normal: Free SEMA webinar discusses employment challenges post-COVID
Toronto, Ontario — On May 6, at 1:00 p.m. EDT, SEMA will give free access to a one-hour webinar, which will discuss employment issues facing small businesses as they navigate a summer that will hopefully mark the final chapter in the COVID-19 pandemic. SBLCs Strategic Policy Director and employment law attorney Jessica Summers, will present […]
Prairie Pact: Saskatchewan signs agreement with North Dakota to vaccinate supply chain workers
Regina, Saskatchewan — Following in the steps of its prairie neighbour, the government of Saskatchewan has announced that they too will be partnering up with the U.S. state of North Dakota to help facilitate COVID-19 vaccines for select essential workers in the province. Announced in a press release on Tuesday, Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe and […]
COLLISIONS AND COVID-19
The up-and-down drama of 2020’s claims counts BY ALLISON ROGERS As the roller coaster of 2020 unfolded before us, predictions of the number of collisions on Canadian roadways were a question long-lingering in the autobody repair community’s minds. According to Canada’s road stats for 2020, collision frequency was nearly halved at some points in the […]
Border Boost: Federal government considers exempting auto workers from U.S.-Canada border closure
Ottawa, Ontario — Officials on Parliament Hill are considering expanding the categories of essential workers allowed to travel across the Canada-U.S. border. Foreign Affairs Minister Marc Garneau told a parliamentary committee Thursday that could mean allowing technicians in the integrated auto industry to be considered essential workers for cross-border purposes. “We are specifically talking about different groups […]
