Union threatens to seize CAMI + Booch taps in

Weekly Regional Business Intelligence

Written by Kieran Delamont, Associate Editor, London Inc.

Union threatens to seize CAMI Assembly if GM attempts to remove machinery

Members of Unifor Local 88 at the GM CAMI assembly plant threatened to seize the facility and tie up the automaker in court if GM attempts to remove the plant’s machinery, said local chair Mike Van Boekel. “We have made our position with the company crystal clear: nothing comes in and nothing goes out,” Van Boekel said in a bulletin to members of the union. “If they try to remove even one single thing from the plant, we are ready to take over. We are not kidding.” The threat comes as GM is meeting with union and government officials to try to secure a “new vehicle mandate” for the plant after the October 21 announcement that GM was ending production of the BrightDrop EV delivery van, although nothing has been decided upon yet. GM told CBC News London it has no plans to remove anything from the plant at this point.

The upshot: It wouldn’t be an entirely unprecedented move, were it to happen. In 2007, about 100 workers at the Collins & Aikman auto parts plant in Toronto barricaded themselves inside the plant after DaimlerChrysler and Ford (which owned the plant following its bankruptcy) refused to pay out severance; the occupation of the plant ended when a $3-million severance deal was struck. And earlier this year, workers at Windsor’s Titan Tool and Die plant took similar action, forcing the company to abandon a plan to ship equipment to Michigan. “It’s the only leverage we have,” Van Boekel told The London Free Press. “We want to team up with the federal government and GM to get something for the plant.”

Read more: CBC News London | London Free Press

2025 construction permits top $2.2B

The City of London has topped last year’s building permit value with nearly two months to spare. Since January, more than 3,200 building permits, valued at over $2.2 billion, have been issued. A big part of that is the 4,284 permits for housing units (the majority being apartment units), which the city says keeps them on track to hit their federal target of more than 11,800 new housing units approved by 2026. In a statement, Mayor Josh Morgan said that it was “another clear sign of confidence in London’s growth and demonstrates the effectiveness of the measures we introduced to deliver new housing and investment.” Deputy city manager of housing Scott Mathers added that it “demonstrates the ongoing success of the city’s efforts to simplify processes and prioritize housing.”

The upshot: It’s some nice-sounding spin from the city, since what the update doesn’t acknowledge is that actual housing starts are trending down this year, with only 1,900 starts booked as of September 30 (compared to nearly 3,100 last year), according to the CMHC — although the groundbreaking at Legacy Village and some other projects over the past six weeks will have nudged that number up a bit. (And to be fair, the macro conditions slowing building down are out of the city’s hands to a great degree.) Still, the permits of today are the starts of tomorrow, and London has clearly made progress in moving projects through city hall, which was a major complaint the development community had a couple of years ago. “We’re seeing the results of these initiatives through record permit values and real progress in expanding London’s housing supply,” said Mathers.

Read more: City of London | London Free Press

Booch expands with new taproom

Local kombucha producer Booch is opening a new taproom. It’s located right next to The Grove within the Western Fair District, and the company says it “features all of our ready to drink products,” from kombucha to sparkling teas and wellness shots. “It’s invigorating to be in a space with like-minded people who are willing to collaborate,” said Alicia Naric, one of the Booch ownership team. “The Grove gave us the foundation to experiment, learn and grow. This new taproom represents our next step — connecting directly with our community in a meaningful way and showing that functional beverages can be for everyone.” Western Fair District VP of strategy Kris Dinel added they were “proud to see them expand from the incubator into a fully realized retail space.” The taproom, which will hold a grand opening on December 6, will be open Thursdays and Fridays, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 2p.m.

The upshot: This is one of the first major pieces of expansion news from Booch since the company was purchased by Naric, husband Mario Naric, and the husband-and-wife team of Chad Gray and Sadie McCann. You may recall Mario Naric as the chemical engineer/co-founder of cannabis extraction firm Motif Labs, which sold for $90 million to Organigram last year (Gray was the VP of commercialization at Motif). So, no shortage of business acumen here, and it should be fun to watch where this new team takes Booch (Shannon Wyton, the founder of Booch, remains with the business as master fermenter). The other big changes so far have been an expanded product lineup (teas, tonics and wellness shots) and a rebrand, which rolled out this past summer.

Read more: Western Fair District

Business Cares Food Drive calls for online business registration

As we head into the holiday season, the Business Cares Food Drive, local businesses, volunteers and families are once again uniting with one shared goal: to make sure no one in our community goes hungry during the holiday season. Marking 26 years of working to support the London Food Bank and local agencies the food bank helps, this year’s annual campaign will kick off at an event at RBC Place London on Thursday, November 27 at 10 a.m. More than 700 London businesses are expected to take part by collecting food and money at a variety of events and within their individual operations (last year the drive raised 683,000 pounds worth of food and cash donations). At the RBC Place launch event, Business Cares campaign chair Wayne Dunn and the Business Cares team will share specifics about this year’s campaign goals and provide an update on current community needs. “I am confident we will meet the challenges ahead and help those in need with the generosity and compassion our community has always shown this time of year,” said Dunn.

The upshot: So, what can your business do? Easy. The Business Cares Food Drive asks organizations planning to participate in this year’s food drive (in any capacity) to simply register online so administration can keep track of participants and ensure all donations are collected and accounted for. All businesses in London are welcome to join, and there are plenty of ways to get involved, from volunteering time at one of the Business Cares Food Drive events over the coming weeks to simply collecting food and hygiene products at your place of business. Every contribution has a big impact. What started as a small idea has grown into one of London’s strongest traditions of kindness — and a seasonal reminder of the compassion and capacity of our local business community.

No heritage tag for Crossings Pub & Eatery, way paved for two-tower development

On Wednesday, city council’s planning and environment committee backed a proposal to knock down an 1870s-era building at 1269 Hyde Park Road, currently occupied by Crossings Pub & Eatery, to make way for two apartment towers, comprising around 500 rental units. North Development Corp. plans to build two 15-storey towers, plus a new restaurant, on the site. City staff had recommended the committee reject the proposal, citing both heritage considerations and the height of the towers, but the committee opted to push the plan forward. “This building didn’t meet six of the nine checkpoints that our heritage folks use to determine heritage designation,” Councillor Steve Lehman told CBC News London. “I’m pleased to see that it’s being considered now.” Not everyone is happy about that. Councillor Corrine Rahman had hoped to see the building protected, saying it “has a lot of significance to the community.” The project proposal will head to council on November 25.

The upshot: Under the surface, there seems to be some discontent around the way the city is designating heritage buildings, particularly when those come into conflict with development proposals. Nevertheless, one voice that seems absent from the controversy around this proposal was that of Crossings Pub and its ownership, the Fairway Pub Group, which isn’t exactly putting up much of a spirited defence of the building (or saying anything publicly about it). The plans for the new site include a two-storey restaurant building, so it seems plausible that it could be aiming to line something up with North Development in the future.

Read more: London Free Press | CBC News London

Wonderland Road Toys ‘R’ Us to shutter

The last Toys ‘R’ Us location in London, located on Wonderland Road, is following its Argyle Mall sibling, announcing that it is closing for good at some point in the near future. Store closure signs went up last weekend, and employees told The London Free Press that head office had confirmed the shuttering but hadn’t locked in a date yet. “We were all very surprised that we are shutting down,” one employee said. “We were told on Thursday, and signs went up on Saturday. Very last minute for us, too, and it was more of a shock because we are so close to Christmas.” The shutdown appears to be part of a wider move to close stores, with a dozen other Toys ‘R’ Us locations in Canada up for sale and a similar abrupt closure story playing out in Windsor. Around 30 to 40 employees will be affected, but Toys ‘R’ Us hasn’t commented publicly on the closures.

The upshot: Time looks to be running out for Toys ‘R’ Us Canada, which has been in bankruptcy proceedings since 2023. When it closed its Argyle Mall location earlier this year, it made all sorts of claims that it was optimizing its business and pivoting to new concepts, which included a renovation (it added a Wonderlab indoor playground) to the Wonderland Road store. Now, though, some stores are up for sale and others are abruptly closing shop — not exactly a mystery which way things are heading. “It’s kind of sad because my son really loves this playground,” one shopper told the Free Press. The silver lining might be that the holidays could bring some good liquidation deals.