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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday June 11, 2003 - FORD 13 ( fe fe fn 'a ttM j </ G e /U ttn y o / < i/a · < w x u / u / r 7 \ i/f t / //c a /s s ' i/ t ( 9 a /to i/fe Difficult to imagine Oakville w ithout Ford plant Continued from page 2 "Modern transportation facilities make it less necessary than in the past for workers to reside within the shadow of their place of employment, so to speak. Many will drive to and from work each day, and not until they have settled into their jobs, and developed a sense of permanency, will they begin to think of buying or building a home in the immediate vicinity of the plant." Meanwhile, local municipal officials were strug gling with laying the town's blueprint to cope with the new growth spawned by the Ford plant. On March 7, 1952, a Toronto planning consult ant, Dr. E. G. Fauldi warned a joint meeting of members of Trafalgar Council, Oakville Council, Oakville-Trafalgar Planning Board, Milton-North Trafalgar Planning Board, and Bronte council that good planning would prevent Oakville from becoming another Windsor. "You can build the best of the worst city in the world," Fauldi said, according to a report in the March 13, 1952, Record-Star. "You are in a battle, and you must capture and absorb the invaders. You can lose, as has Windsor, if you plan too late," he said. As construction began on the Ford site, rumors and fears still persisted, however. Many of those were sparked by contractors hir ing workers from outside Oakville. Some criti cized the hiring of "New Canadians". The concerns prompted Ford to hold a public meeting, May 20, 1952, at the Trafalgar Township Hall. At the public meeting - Gordon C. Garbutt director of Public Relations for Ford, tried to calm fears of a capacity audience. Garbutt denied stories printed in the May 22, 1952 edition of the Record-Star indicating Ford of Canada planned to "import 2,000 Negroes to staff the plant and that there would be a whole sale transfer of labor from Windsor to Oakville" were categorically denied by Garbutt. He said it was the company's policy to hire men on the basis of ability and suitability for the job without regard to race, creed, or colour, and went on to report that only a small number of key personnel would be transferred from Windsor to the Oakville plant when it went into produc tion. The Record-Star reported, "Reference was made to criticism of contractors for having employed a number of New Canadians, and Garbutt pointed out that some 48 recent arrivals in Canada had been hired, but said he believed his audience shared with him the conviction that these new citizens were entitled to opportunities to work just as much as were long-time residents." On the public relations field, Ford was doing as much as it could to become part of the commu nity. In February 1952, while Oakville was in the midst of a $60,000 fundraising campaign for a new arena, Ford kicked in $10,000 to boost the total to $29,000. And as the construction of the Ford plant pro gressed, Oakville underwent a series of changes. In a special edition of the Oakville Record-Star, marking the official opening of the Oakville Ford Plant on May 11, 1953, the editor reflected on the changes to the town, which coincided with the arrival of the Ford plant. "Chief immediate change came to Oakville. Her main street was modernized as properties changes hands and the new owners put in attractive storefronts. Running to get on the scene of business, all of the chartered Englishspeaking banks, which had not been located, arrive don the scene. Woolworth's and the T.E. Eaton Company moved in - the latter only pur chasing land in the township, but Woolworth's opened a fine store immediately across from this newspaper's office. "The first modern office building opened with the first elevator. A hotel was planned, and motels were started on the Queen Elizabeth Way. There was a rash of apartment houses in town, and they were filled with tenants as soon as they opened. Sub-divisions approved before the arrival of Ford were developed and homes went up as quickly as possible. For the most part, these were sold. However, there was a buyer resistance to the resale prices some people put upon their houses." In the May 11 edition of the Daily JournalRecord, William Cotton, who later became the newspaper's publisher, wrote, "It is not every day that a New Neighbour of the immensity of FordOakville arrives in a community. But it can be said truthfully that this company has come with the least possible fuss and fury, and with the hand of friendship extended. "W hile even now, there are many who may not grasp this hand with great enthusiasm, there are very few who have refused to shake hands at all. " Great industries do not usually want to be wel comed in any other way than by lack of interfer ence. Ford of Canada felt differently. As a result, the reaction has been different. It's been more friendly, more tolerant and more homey." On May 11, when the first Oakville-built car rolled off the assembly line, many of the compa ny's earlier predictions bore out. And as the years have gone by, it is now very difficult to imagine Oakville without the presence of the Ford plant. ratulation on your e are p grow in w it Liberty's maintenance free wheelchair accessible Windstar design. Manual ramp no hydraulics or electronics to break down. Unequaled quality. Sturdy steel and fiberglass construction offers maintenance free reliability. Non-intrusive rear entry design leaves the unibody intact. Flexibility. 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