Consumers Glass 4 years after closure....

[Hassel99]

Should have kept the HST if you want business to come to BC. But hey as the poster above me said an extra 70 cents on a hair cut and punishing a government for a poor launch of a solid product not is more important than long term economic growth.

In addition the Recycle depot behind 25th ave has always taken my glass products that do not have deposits. I would be really sad to find out they go into the landfill

[Fritzthecat]

By the lack of intelligent responses here I see the North Okanagan isn't too concerned about creating employment. Kind of ironic that it was a right wing Socred Premier who spent public money to bring Consumers Glass to the Okanagan in the 1960's. These days he'd be called a Commie.
The biggest trick the right wing every pulled was convincing the public they had no responsibly to their constituents or community that employs them.

[Rwede]

on your cop out, Fritz.

You rallied strongly against the HST, which was designed to bring investment and jobs to plants like the glass plant.

Like I said, only if it doesn't cost you 70¢.

[bob vernon]

The HST was not designed to bring new jobs. It was designed to increase the profits of anyone owning a business, and if they felt like hiring more staff they would. Or they could spend a month in Hawaii each winter instead of 3 weeks.

The HST was collected by businesses. These businesses also paid HST on things they bought. And they were allowed to keep the HST that they paid from the amount they collected and put it in their own pockets. Any job creation that happened was incidental to the rich getting access to the tax money on it's way to Victoria. And I know a local business owner who did home renovations and a lot of the receipts for things that went into his house was claimed from the business HST. It was a money maker for anyone who owns a business. Oh, wait...... it's still being collected...... and abused.

[Captain Awesome]

And they were allowed to keep the HST that they paid from the amount they collected and put it in their own pockets.

Zero sum game.

You pay $20 in HST when you buy something.
You collect $80 in HST when you sell something.
You give $60 to the govt.

What goes into your pocket? Nothing.

[Rwede]

The HST was not designed to bring new jobs. It was designed to increase the profits of anyone owning a business, and if they felt like hiring more staff they would. Or they could spend a month in Hawaii each winter instead of 3 weeks.

The HST was collected by businesses. These businesses also paid HST on things they bought. And they were allowed to keep the HST that they paid from the amount they collected and put it in their own pockets. Any job creation that happened was incidental to the rich getting access to the tax money on it's way to Victoria. And I know a local business owner who did home renovations and a lot of the receipts for things that went into his house was claimed from the business HST. It was a money maker for anyone who owns a business. Oh, wait...... it's still being collected...... and abused.

So in your business model, a BC business paying 7% more on its operating costs should have no trouble competing with a jurisdiction like Alberta with a VAT tax style system. I can see you've never run a business before, and should take some finance courses before you ever do.

And I hope you reported the criminal who was stealing from our social programs by illegally claiming personal expenses on his business account, which can happen under any type of tax system. After all, you are a responsible citizen concerned with fairness, right?

[bob vernon]

Absolutely not. He used to be a good union member, then retired and started collecting his pension. Now his home based business does consulting work for the government.

[Gone_Fishin]

Absolutely not. He used to be a good union member, then retired and started collecting his pension. Now his home based business does consulting work for the government.

I see, since he is a Brother, it's fine for him to be a thieving criminal. After all, protect your Brothers at all costs. Ahh, the union mentality, it's so predictable. Since so many union members steal from their employers by slack/substandard work, it's just part of the culture these days.

[SurplusElect]

Owens-Illinois bought the plant in 2001 and closed it a few years later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens-Illinois

It wasn't the only one it closed in Canada, 430 other jobs lost.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2 ... inois.html

Huge foreign company, closing down profitable places to make even more money.

I did a little digging as I didn't know much about what happened.

Perhaps government could do something to prevent this sad story, but it all depends on what you define as progress I suppose.

[Fritzthecat]

Owens-Illinois bought the plant in 2001 and closed it a few years later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens-Illinois

It wasn't the only one it closed in Canada, 430 other jobs lost.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2 ... inois.html

Huge foreign company, closing down profitable places to make even more money.

I did a little digging as I didn't know much about what happened.

Perhaps government could do something to prevent this sad story, but it all depends on what you define as progress I suppose.

$1 million dollars per month NET profit from Lavington alone.
But according to the right wing experts it is NOT the governments job to do, well, anything.

[superbee]

I lived in Vernon when the glass plant opened and was hired a few months later. I worked there 8 1/2 years. As I remember, it was the federal government of the time who gave grants or loans to Consumer's Glass to build their plant there, as the Okanagan, at least around Vernon, was a high unemployment area at that time. A 'distressed area' that could use some federal government money help to create employment for the local people.

I have been suspicious of the timing of the closing of the glass plant, around 40 years since the plans for it were made and the property purchased. I wonder if the timing coincided with the running out of a long-term loan, or some kind of forgiveable tax, or a tax break, behind the scenes. The timing of 40 year life span.

Fritz, you were in the plant when it closed? I left Vernon in 1978. Why exactly did the plant close down? I have heard rumors they ran out of markets for their glass, glass containers were becoming obsolete, that the last few owners ran the place into the ground so they could move their operation to California near the breweries.

Where are the Kraft jars, the canning jars, the beer bottles made now? Are there any glass plants in Canada?

I liked working at the glass plant, I was on B shift with a great group of people, several of whom became lifelong friends. I have happy memories of working there and many wonderful people. It opened just after I graduated, and it supplied employment for many, many local residents for many years. Your dad encouraged me to work out there, and I have always been grateful for that. I am sorry the glass plant shut down. I am suspicious of the 40 year timing.

[Fritzthecat]

I lived in Vernon when the glass plant opened and was hired a few months later. I worked there 8 1/2 years. As I remember, it was the federal government of the time who gave grants or loans to Consumer's Glass to build their plant there, as the Okanagan, at least around Vernon, was a high unemployment area at that time. A 'distressed area' that could use some federal government money help to create employment for the local people.

I have been suspicious of the timing of the closing of the glass plant, around 40 years since the plans for it were made and the property purchased. I wonder if the timing coincided with the running out of a long-term loan, or some kind of forgiveable tax, or a tax break, behind the scenes. The timing of 40 year life span.

Fritz, you were in the plant when it closed? I left Vernon in 1978. Why exactly did the plant close down? I have heard rumors they ran out of markets for their glass, glass containers were becoming obsolete, that the last few owners ran the place into the ground so they could move their operation to California near the breweries.

Where are the Kraft jars, the canning jars, the beer bottles made now? Are there any glass plants in Canada?

I liked working at the glass plant, I was on B shift with a great group of people, several of whom became lifelong friends. I have happy memories of working there and many wonderful people. It opened just after I graduated, and it supplied employment for many, many local residents for many years. Your dad encouraged me to work out there, and I have always been grateful for that. I am sorry the glass plant shut down. I am suspicious of the 40 year timing.

I was there untilthe end. We couldn't keep up with orders in the end! Most stuff that has gone to plstic is a result of O-I trying to manipulate the market. The palce was profitable right until the end. What happened was O-I thought they had cornered the glass market. What they did was slowly shut down Canadian plants as well as American plants and tried to fill the orders with inferior Chinese made glass. After the plant closed I did some work for a few bottlers and the glass they had was horrendous: bottling lines that normaly ran at 400 bottles per minute couldn't run 80 bottles per minute due to poor quality glass (breakage, out of round bottle, crooked bottle) and thhere were also huge issues with contamination of product. In the end most customers of O-I said "Screw you, we will use platic." Plastic bottles are usually shipped partially formed and the final blow happens on the fill line. The only benefit O-I got from closing governmnet wise was huge tax breaks! Now as I've been told tax breaks are supposed to create jobs, not motivate plant closures (yes I am being sarcastic.)
My information came from mangamnet as well as union officals. The one time we were all on the same page.

[xjeepguy]

Owens-Illinois bought the plant in 2001 and closed it a few years later.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owens-Illinois

It wasn't the only one it closed in Canada, 430 other jobs lost.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2 ... inois.html

Huge foreign company, closing down profitable places to make even more money.

I did a little digging as I didn't know much about what happened.

Perhaps government could do something to prevent this sad story, but it all depends on what you define as progress I suppose.

Just signed a new contract and a week and a half later they pull the plug , that sucks ! ( the Ont. plant )

The Canadian Auto Workers, which represents Owens-Illinois employees in Toronto, said it was "shocked" to receive the news only a week and a half after signing a new collective agreement.

[superbee]

Thank you, Fritz, for the report from right on the spot. Inferior Chinese glass? Not only rotten, but disgusting. It seems China, and Nestle of Switzerland, own and supply more and more of what we use and eat.

[ole smelly]

Ya gotta feel for those poor blokes, many lost everything when the joint went *bleep* up.
Most cannot find any work of any kind.