Last week, General Motors (GM) announced they would be closing down one of their plants in my hometown in Oshawa, ON.
The night before, my social media feeds were flooded with rumours and media outlets breaking the news before the official press conference on Monday morning.
While three plants are being closed by GM, the one in Oshawa will have almost 3,000 people losing their job by the end of 2019.
I grew up well past the prime of GM, the company’s location had been deteriorating for as long as I can remember.
Oshawa was once considered a car town, but that title faded as time went on.
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Not as many families spent generations working in the plants, and it seemed like Oshawa was getting its footing relying on people working in other industries.
Good jobs in the factories were harder and harder to come by, and you needed the family connection it seemed to even be considered for a position.
In high school, a teacher asked how many students had parents that worked for GM.
I believe one person raised their hand, which he saw as proof that GM didn’t have as strong of a hold as everyone claimed.
That doesn’t mean the announcement won’t be a heavy blow for everyone living in the area, nor will it give all of those people back their jobs.
While I was researching for this column, I saw a number of friends from high school commenting on the announcement, the prospect of losing their job, and the impact the company had on them.
It was heart breaking, and it made it that much more real for me. It put a face to the company’s decision, and got me thinking about the bigger impact it will have on the place I grew up.
As I watched everything unfold through the news, it made me realize that this isn’t an anomaly.
Companies make the decision all the time to close their doors, and focus on plans that could increase their profit numbers and production outside of Canada.
Seeing all of the coverage made me wonder why it had such a focus, and why there wasn’t as much when other areas experience similar, or worse, economic downfalls.
How do we decide which events get more attention than others, and what warrants the amount of coverage the GM announcement received?
Regardless looking forward, I’m weary of what it will mean for my friends and family in the area.
