Fresh out of financial bailouts and massive restructuring GM is hoping to hit the ground running. A trimmed down offering down to a core profitable few the company (and the country) is hoping buyers will return, but will they? With the cuts all over the problems still exist. Buyers aren’t against buying a GM car, they are against buying a poorly made car. The introduction of foreign made cars opened consumers eyes to new possibilities.

“You mean my car should last longer than 3 years?”

Quality is still the main issue and hasn’t been addressed. You will still have the same old workers doing the same old crappy job sitting on the line waiting to collect their pensions. Collectively this group needs to do their jobs better, focus on the details, take pride in the product they produce. After all it’s their work and if you can’t be proud of your own work, then why are you doing it in the first place?

I think you can see the results if you look at Ford. “Quality is job #1″ Ford made a big push to improve the quality of their brands. Campaigned to earn the trust of consumers and I think you’re seeing the results now. It wasn’t a new model that saved them from the brink of bankruptcy. It was quality, customer service, and commercials voice overs by Dennis Leary and Kiefer Sutherland.

GM maybe be out of bankruptcy but … the consumers may not return. The solution is simple: build a better product.

17 days the garbage strike in Toronto has dragged on. For 17 days Mayor Miller has dragged his feet and done nothing. A lot of talk about “negotiation” “patience” blah blah blah. It comes down to Mayor David Miller avoiding the issue. His years of giving into the union have finally caught up to him. Given the city’s financial crunch the mayor cannot afford to give in once more. However the union is sticking to it’s guns. They are at an impasse and the citizens of the GTA are paying the price. Garbage is piling up, tourists are complaining, and there appears to be no end in sight. Do yourself a favor in invest in a nose plug, because it’s going to get a whole lot stinkier in Toronto.

Fight: Perez Hilton vs wil.i.am – talk shit about a band then expect to face the consequences. How the hell does this loser end up being so popular because of his blog? The interweb won’t protect you. He says she’s a liar. She says she did nothing wrong. Believe who you want to believe.

Nortel in financial trouble again. They’ve been under court protection since January. This is – what, the 3rd time being bankrupt in like 10 years? How does this company continue to operate? From the glory days of employing 90,000 and a stock price of $125 to 2,500 employees and $0.18 on the TSX. The writing is on the wall.

It’s gonna get stinky in Toronto. A garbage strike threatens to make summer miserable for the residents in Toronto. The union and city continue to negotiate but expect things to end this way: the city giving in, and property tax rates skyrocketing next year. Don’t you love unions? They should be so lucky as to be employed this year.

Talk about sore losers. Yet another Detroit Red Wing player has come out to criticize the Penguins captain for his actions after winning the Stanley Cup. Let’s see, you’re the youngest captain in NHL history to win a championship, add to this that this is your first championship, shaking hands immediately after accomplishing this task is not at the top of your priorities.

If you watched the celebration, you notice that the Detroit (big sucky) players lined up almost immediately after losing so they could get off the ice as quickly as possible. If you recall last year, the Pittsburgh players gave you ample time to celebrate before lining up to shake hands. However Detroit gave no such courtesy.

Yeah, it hurts to watch the other team celebrate their championship, but it’s the exact same thing you did to them the year before. Give them 10 minutes to enjoy their moment before calling them disrespectful.

All eyes are on Judge Redfield T. Baum. Who will he side with: the NHL or Balsillie? On the one hand you have a money losing location on the other you have a hockey mad buyer with cash in hand. If you stay in Phoenix you will guarantee many more years of financial loss. If the team is moved to a potentially better location it’s still a coin flip whether the franchise will be profitable. Attached to that will be lawsuits over a broken lease agreement and other financial obligations to Phoenix. Who’s interests will weigh more importantly? Creditors? The NHL? The bidders? It most certainly won’t be in the best interest of hockey fans.

It’s interesting how easily the Winnipeg Jets franchise was moved down to the U.S. but when the occasion arises to move a team from the U.S. to Canada, all sorts of barriers appear. The NHL is clearly against Canada and however they sure love our money. The NHL cannot exist financially without Canada but it just doesn’t seem to be in the cards that another franchise will appear in Canada in the near future. Maybe we should all become soccer fans.

New rules kick in today but the big question is: do you have your passport? Thankfully I renewed mine last month but I’m guessing many more may potentially be turned away. Not that I’m planning on making a trip south anyways. Shopping in the U.S. is just way too pricey. However they do have a lot of outlet shopping malls. The policy, while in the name of national security, seems to be leaning towards economic protectionist policy instead of security. Perhaps the Obama administration wants to unconsciously persuade Americans from crossing the border to buy cheap Canadian goods (drugs). I’m guessing most border patrol will show flexibility however there’s always that chance you’ll get stuck with that one hard-ass and you’ll end up turning around. Just get your passport to be safe.

In other news a small protest has forced the border crossing near Cornwall to close. It seems the local Mohawks aren’t happy about the new rules either. The guards have left their posts citing safety issues and the remaining few have armed themselves. Probably cooler heads will prevail. GoGo Mohawk power! Demand some new land while you’re at it.

Looks like Chrysler is going outta business. The CAW and Chrysler Canada have been negotiating on behalf of their 9,000 workers in a bid to save the company. Ken Lewenza, CAW president, said that the union would not budge on salary issues. Chrysler claims that the union must agree to a $19 cut in wage benefits is necessary to ensure profitability going forward. It seems that no deal will be reach jeopardizing federal funding money.

The negotiations are the final step to save the automaker from bankruptcy. The federal and Ontario governments have already loaned Chrysler Canda $750 million of $1 billion promised. (link)

Frank D’Angelo, 49 year old former owner of Steelback Brewery, was found not guilty today of sexually assault. The accuser is the daughter of a former business associates. The judge found the both to be credible however that the charges were not proven in court.

D’Angelo claims the sex was consensual and that the 19 year old “totally wanted it”. He did admit that going “backdoor” was a mistake but it was definitely not criminal. He also claimed that she initiated the sex by giving him a blowjob despite his objections. He said that he put up a moderate fight but then gave in to her. He also mentioned that she “had a great set of tits” and that “he would totally do her again”. Leaving the courtroom he yelled over to her to call him.

(link)

Residents in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) are in a financial crunch. The city’s land transfer tax was an utter failure as home sales dropped off the map as the economy went into the tank. And Mayor Miller is looking to raise revenues any way he can. Property taxes? Yup. Property appraisals are expected to rise as will your taxes. The era of David Miller’s rule has been taxes, taxes, and more taxes. Up, up, and away. Any mystery as to why people are moving out of the city to the nether regions of the outer rim? So on top of this Miller is asking unions to accept a pay freeze. I believe it’s one of those things that he’s dug himself a hole and is asking everyone else to help him out. Miller’s known for being union friendly and hence it’s good to belong to a union in Toronto. I’ve always been against unions since they increase costs and lower productivity. Sure they protect their workers but at the expense of everyone else. Any wonder why GM is in trouble? Unions. Anyways the local economy is spiraling out of control. Our only hope is that the McGuinty and Harper come to the rescue with lots and lots of money.

Cameras are everywhere. Recordings from cell phones are today’s breaking news. Vancouver police currently under investigation for shooting a homeless man may be found guilty due to evidence from a cellphone. The video was recorded and then immediately turned over to the officers, who promptly erased the footage and returned the phone to the owner. Cover-up? A local data recovery company is on the case attempting to recover the video footage of the incident. Many activists are calling for a full on investigation on police practices. Recovering the video from the phone holds the key to the officers guilt. Police corruption hangs in the balance for a forensic data recovery company.