GM Workers Shocked and Betrayed by Jessica Verge Our Tax Base Has Been Erod- the Oshawa Express Ing Since We Lost the North Plant, He Says
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$1.00 Your Independent Local News Source Vol 3 No 32 Wednesday, June 4 2008 GM workers shocked and betrayed By Jessica Verge Our tax base has been erod- The Oshawa Express ing since we lost the north plant, he says. Chris Buckley feels betrayed. While Marimpietri remains The Canadian Auto Workers optimistic about Oshawas Local 222 president didnt future he fears that taxpayers mince words about an will have to subsidize the loss of announcement out of General revenue as a result of a GM clo- Motors Tuesday morning that sure and believes its the respon- means even more job loss for sibility of upper levels of gov- Oshawas manufacturing work- ernment to step in and ensure ers. that doesnt happen. Its nothing short of Oshawas truck betrayal, says plant, which accounts Buckley, in response to for some 1,000 GMs decision to close Canadian jobs, is one of the Oshawa truck plant, four North American which will cease pro- facilities making pick- duction in 2009 and up trucks and sport util- Photo by Courtney Duffett/The Oshawa Express isnt likely to reopen. ity vehicles that will Its an absolute Chris Buckley close. The other plants Thousands of people including CAW members, other union members and members of the general public joined together Sunday shock. scheduled to close in a manufacturing rally in Oshawa. Buckley, who include Janesville, learned of the closure Monday Wisconsin, Moraine, Ohio, and Rally attracts thousands night, says the announcement is Toluca, Mexico. especially surprising because The announcement follows the union recently ratified a new the loss of one shift at the three year collective agreement Oshawa plant last year with a CAW reps ready to fight with GM that guaranteed next second shift to end this fall, each generation vehicles to be built in shift accounting for about 1,000 By Courtney Duffett Ontario and brought protestors Buckley adds that some 400,000 Oshawa. And it was this jobs. The Oshawa Express ready to join local residents in a manufacturing jobs have left ratification that But closures werent march through Oshawas streets Canada in the last five years with renewed some hope the only thing GM had From Windsor to Oakville, St. toward a rally at Memorial Park. some 132,000 lost jobs over the among the local manu- to announce. They also Catharines to Brampton, thousands We have a crisis in our auto last 12 months. facturing sector. announced the addition came to Oshawa on Sunday to industry, says Chris Buckley, The job losses have had a large Our members felt of a shift at the protest the loss of manufacturing president of CAW Local 222, who impact on workers and our work- good. Our members felt Michigan plant making jobs across the country. addressed the crowd. Our country ers families yet our government relieved, he says. the Malibu mid-sized Buses poured in from across is bleeding. See RALLY Page 5 Buckley maintains sedan and an increase in that the provincial and federal production at the Ohio plant government need to step in and making the compact Chevrolet Clinic sues Parkes for $1,900,000 do something to remedy the sit- Cobalt and Pontiac G5, which uation and fears what will hap- demonstrates GMs shift to A methadone clinic in down- comments she made during a KX damages. pen if they continue down the smaller and more fuel-efficient town Oshawa is moving ahead with 96 FM broadcast in February. Since the broadcast, clinic rep- current path. products. plans to sue Councillor Louise First Steps statement of claim resentatives served three Notices of Things will only get worse, On Monday night, GM Parkes for defamation. alleges that Parkes made malicious, Libel to Parkes, demanding she he says. approved funding for the First Step Clinic announced false and defamatory comments retract the statements. Oshawa councillor Tito- Chevrolet Volt, an electric car Monday that it has served a about the clinic and its physicians We have asked Councillor Dante Marimpietri, Wards 2 and set to be mad0e in Detroit and Statement of Claim suing Parkes, and administrations. The clinic is Parkes three times, in writing, to 4, is also concerned. ready by 2010. councillor for Wards 4 and 5, for seeking $1,900,000 in personal See COUNCILLOR Page 5 New CEO set for Lakeridge By Jessica Verge position, was attracted to Lakeridge Health University of Toronto Masters of Health Hospitals of Ontario The Oshawa Express because of its reputation in the medical Administration Program, Rotman School We are very pleased to welcome Kevin community. of Business, and York University. He has to the Lakeridge family as our new CEO, Oshawas hospital will welcome a new The medical quality is great, says also served on a number of boards and says Marion Saunders, chair of the Board boss this summer. Empey, adding that he looks for- committees, including: the Canadian of Trustees. In addition to his wealth of Kevin Empey has been appoint- ward to working for a corporation Institute for Health Information; Ontario experience, Kevin is no stranger to the ed CEO of Lakeridge Health, of Lakeridge Healths size with its Hospital Association (OHA), Physician Durham Region. A member of the Board of which encompasses sites in strong connection to the communi- Services Committee; Joint Policy and the Nature Conservancy of Ontario, his Oshawa, Whitby, Clarington and ties it serves. Planning Committee (JPPC joint love of nature, particularly bird watching, Port Perry. Empey is replacing Empey adds that with each Ministry of Health and OHA); Diagnostic has brought him regularly to our region Brian Lemon, who announced his organization hes been with, he Services Committee (Joint Ministry of giving him a good appreciation of all that plans to retire last fall. has sought to improve the way it Health, OHA, Ontario Medical our communities have to offer. Empey, who will officially step runs and saw that drive in current Association); and Council of Academic into the position July 21, most Lakeridge Health staff. recently held the title of Executive Kevin Empey Ive been impressed by every- Vice-President of Clinical Support body I met, he says. and Corporate Services at Previous to the University Torontos University Health Network, Health Network, Empey held management which includes Toronto General, Princess positions at both Peel Memorial Hospital Margaret and Toronto Western Hospitals. and St. Michaels Hospital and has been a Oshawa teen stabbed The Toronto resident, recruited for the lecturer on health administration with the A 17-year-old Oshawa boy is suffer- The suspect fled the scene heading north ing from serious injuries after being through the apartment complex. stabbed in the back. The victim was taken to hospital with On May 29 around 7:30 p.m., Durham non life-threatening injuries. UOIT professor cops attended the housing complex on Witnesses reported seeing two males Nonquon Road in Oshawa for a report of running from the scene shortly after the a stabbing. Police located a male with a incident. Police do not believe that this chairs conference stab wound to his back. The victim was a random incident and are continu- reported that he was walking in the area ing to investigate. of 120 Nonquon Rd. when a male Anyone with information is asked to approached him from behind and stabbed contact police at 905-579-1520. on global warming him in the back with an edged weapon. Dincer received his BSc in Mechanical Engineering at Sexual assault suspect arrested Selcuk University in Konya, Turkey in 1987 followed by A 52-year-old Oshawa man is in and attempted to exit the hot tub but the his MSc at Istanbul Technical police custody after a 12-year-old report- suspect grabbed her by the waist and University in 1991 and finally ed being sexually assaulted at a local pulled her back towards him. When the his PhD in Mechanical pool. victim called out to a pool supervisor, the Engineering at Istanbul On May 21 around 5 p.m., local cops suspect let her go. The following day, the Technical University in 1993. attended the South Oshawa victim reported the incident to His research areas include Community Centre located at a family member who called hydrogen and fuel cell sys- 1455 Cedar St. in Oshawa for a police. tems, renewable energies, report of a sexual assault. On May 27 around 8 p.m., energy and exergy, energy The 12-year-old victim Durham police were called to conversion and management, reported that on May 20 she the South Oshawa Community heat and mass transfer, ther- was inside the pool area of the centre after staff members modynamics, drying, refriger- community centre with friends. observed a male matching the ation and thermal energy stor- At around 8:10 p.m. she left description of a sexual assault age. her friends in the pool area and suspect entering the communi- Photo by Courtney Duffett/The Oshawa Express Dincer is also involved in went to a hot tub that was in a ty centre. Dr. Ibrahim Dincer will be charing an international conference on many international publica- separate area of the pool. The Attending officers spoke climate change and global warming in Turkey from July 6 to 10. tions including editor-in-chief hot tub seats many people but with staff members and locat- of the International Journal of was empty when she sat down. ed the suspect sitting inside a hot tub. Energy Research in the UK, Moments later, an adult male came The suspect was removed from the hot By Courtney Duffett into the hot tub and sat very close to the The Oshawa Express editorial board member of the International tub area and arrested without incident.