Oshawa Community Museum and Archives

Oshawa Community
Museum and
Archives

Please Choose a Company from the List Below:

General Motors

Postcard of GM head office circa 1945

The 1918 merge of Chevrolet and the McLaughlin Motor Car Co. culminated into the creation of General Motors of Canada. This was the beginning of the post war period for WWI, and there was steady progress, along with the erection of new plants and office buildings. There was even more expansion in 1926 with additions made to the north plant and production expanded. During the Depression, like most companies, GM was affected, they continued to produce automobiles but at a reduced rate.
Despite this reduced rate of production, GM of North America produced their 1,000,000 vehicle in 1938. In the year before (1937), war was looming in Europe and GM was asked if it would be willing to provide war materials if needed. R.S. McLaughlin told the Department of National Defence, “There isn’t a thing this plant can do that it won’t do to discharge its obligations to this country. We will do anything you want.” The next year (1938) GM began building and testing different types of army vehicles (trucks and tanks). This testing would prove to be valuable to the war effort. In 1939, GM employed approximately 4900 people in Oshawa.
By 1943, 7600 were employed, with 6750 of these employees engaged in producing military products and the remaining in the aircraft division. The year before (1942) saw the production of civilian vehicles brought to a halt to devote all production to the war effort. With this, General Motors played a decisive part in bringing WWII to a triumphant end for Canada and her Allies in 1945.

Aerial View of GM plant in Oshawa, Ont

With the war over, GM continued with the production of civilian cars. In 1950, construction of the South Plant began; this was to become the largest automotive assembly plant in Canada.
In 1965, the Automotive Trade Agreement, or the Autopact, was signed between the United States and Canada.This free-trade agreement was supposed to stimulate Canadian industry and create jobs, while making it easier to sell American cars in Canada . In 1972, in R.S. McLaughlin’s centennial year, he passed away. The founder of GM Canada had survived to see 54 years of its being. It had also been 65 years since he started the McLaughlin Motor Car Co. In the early 1980’s, General Motors of Canada moved their national headquarters to Oshawa, and a new building was erected on the east side of Wentworth St. (now called Col. Sam Dr.) overlooking the Second Marsh. New development continued throughout the 80’s with the creation of the Autoplex. GM remodeled both the north and south Oshawa plants, increasing its use of robotics while keeping the employment stable. This also eliminated the standard assembly line and improved it; jobs were to be done at work stations, with the Automated Guided Vehicles moving along tracks with modular components to work stations of around 8-15 people. Sixty percent of the components made in Oshawa were used on vehicles, while the rest were shipped to the United States. A new stamping plant was also put into place in 1988 where it would stamp and form sheet metal parts for the car plants. The environment was also in their agenda, and when the GM headquarters was built the McLaughlin Bay Wildlife Reserve was created. There is 108 acres of land home to about 400 varieties of plants, trees, shrubs and wildflowers, as well as native birds and mammals. The environment also came up again in 1993 when a waste water treatment plant, which meets the provincial standards, was opened. It can treat more than two million gallons a day of waste water produced at the car, truck and battery plants. Another one was opened for the fabrication plant in north Oshawa. Its process is one that chemically removes phosphorous, and separates out heavy metals such as zinc, nickel, lead and chromium.
GM continued to be a progressive company when in 1994, Maureen Kempster Darkes, a female, became the president of General Motors of Canada (She has since moved on). GM continues to be successful and in May, 2003, GM’s Oshawa plant was named best car assembly plant in North and South America .