LABOUR UNION OFFICIAL and former Oshawa councillor Doug Sanders agreed to share his thoughts with me on his 42 years of community involvement, so I asked him a few key questions.
In the spring of 1990, Doug Sanders was the match that would ultimately light a fire of protest amongst unionized workers at the General Motors Oshawa car assembly plant. Three decades later, the man at the very centre of that controversy agreed to look back on his lifetime of advocacy.
Dean: What happened at General Motors in 1990, and did they really nickname you the “Ten Million Dollar Man“?
Doug: That nickname was given to me because of the apparent value in lost production. I identified an issue on our assembly line that had rendered our workplace temporarily unsafe. I asked a supervisor to stop what he was doing, which started a chain of events that began with my being placed on immediate notice of suspension. I did receive the support of many on-floor union reps who themselves decided to walk off the job in protest of the way I’d been treated. Subsequently, and without union representation, a number of people refused to work, thus idling about 3800 workers that very afternoon.
The CAW disagreed with the actions taken by our local union committee and labelled the situation as an ‘illegal work stoppage’. From there everything escalated, resulting in 5000 workers eventually being sent home. The whole thing played out over three days, but a certain amount of animosity remains on the part of some who were involved.
Dean: How did the events of that time affect your outlook, and your ability to move forward?
Doug: My outlook and what it means to do a job I’ve been entrusted with has never changed. After the walkout ended in 1990, there were about a dozen employees that were handed 30-day suspensions, so I and others stood on the sidewalk just outside the plant gates to collect money to help those folks. Was it tough for me to get back on track? Sure, it was, and there were times I felt like I had a target painted on my back, but the overall trust and respect I gained definitely helped me move forward.
Dean: In 2010 you made the decision to run for Oshawa council in a city-wide election, and in a field of 18 candidates running for three local seats, you came in 5th in terms of the number of votes received. You lost that election, yet you ended up serving as a member of council during that term. You went on to win a local seat in the 2014 election, yet you ended that term as a Regional councilor. Even the most casual observer would find those circumstances rather unusual, even rare.
Doug: The 2010 election was not unlike any other, and I look at the results as very positive. A lot of folks in the community will recall when Mike Nicholson declined to be sworn in as a councillor, which was totally unexpected. He had to basically resign from council because his employer, the Toronto Transit Commission, had a policy forbidding their employees from taking political office. A by-election would have cost Oshawa taxpayers upwards of $150,000 so council decided to appoint a runner-up, enabling me and others to make a direct appeal, and in the end, I was chosen to fill the seat vacated by Mike. Coming on board when I did wasn’t at all easy, but I can tell you in all honesty that councillor Nancy Diamond was very helpful, and I benefitted greatly from her advice.
I put my name forward again as a candidate in the 2014 election, and out of a total of 17 hopefuls, I was at the top of the list, having received the most votes in a city-wide election. Fast forward to February 2017 and Nancy’s sudden death, which left a vacancy to be filled at Regional council, and I was given the privilege of being chosen by my colleagues to take on a new role as her successor.
Dean: Can you give me a brief summary of your experience as a councillor, and perhaps offer a glimpse into the highs and lows of Oshawa politics?
Doug: I very much enjoyed my time on the Development Services committee, because it provided an opportunity to help steer the city into the future as new proposals came forward, however, I was disappointed when the downtown Oshawa BIA came to be the focus of so much controversy and was ultimately disbanded by a majority vote of council. On a positive note, it was nice to see the rejuvenation of the Genosha Hotel building after so many decades, as well as other forms of private investment that have created a real turnaround for the centre of our city.
I have been quoted in the media as saying councillors had a very positive relationship and that council as a whole was very cooperative. This is absolutely true, however there was a time during my first term when it was a challenge to come into the chamber for a meeting. The news media labelled Oshawa city hall as a “political circus” with fights, threats, intimidation, and even harassment being added into the mix. I recall 2013 as a particularly bad year, and week after week I watched as more chaos developed. Council, at that time, was seen as being among the most fractured in the province.
Dean: What does the future look like for Doug Sanders?
Doug: At the moment I’m concentrating on my work as Vice President for the Unifor Local 222 Retirees Chapter and enjoying time with my wife and family - and in particular my six grandkids. I really enjoy my time golfing and watching my favourite sports – all the while maintaining season’s tickets for the Oshawa Generals. As long as there is a need in the community, I’m there to serve in whatever way I can. As I always say, I’m only a phone call away.
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As part of Doug Sanders work at Local 222, he will be hosting a public forum on September 11 from 6-8 pm at the union hall at 1425 Phillip Murray Ave. The event is titled ‘Slam the Breaks on Tariffs’ and will include a lineup of speakers from various levels of government. Those in attendance will enjoy an appearance by Charlie Angus, the well-known Canadian author, journalist and former federal politician.
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