Automotive News Canada - April 2022 - 14

14
* APRIL 2022
Police begin Dias inquiry
As the money trail is
studied, Unifor plans
to hold a hearing
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
THE TORONTO POLICE
Service's Financial Crimes Unit
has begun an investigation into
former Unifor President Jerry
Dias as the longtime
labour leader seeks
treatment for addiction,
and the union's
national executive
board plans a hearing
to scrutinize Dias'
conduct.
Const. Laura
Brabant, a Toronto
police spokeswoman,
confirmed the inquiry
April 5.
" The investigation
is in its preliminary
stages, and we would
not comment on specifics
at this time [so]
as to not compromise
the investigation, "
Brabant wrote in an
email to Automotive
News Canada.
As of press time,
investigation. Unifor SecretaryTreasurer
Lana Payne said Dias
opted not to take part in the investigation
and said the findings were
made on the " balance of probabilities. "
Payne
alleged that Dias " accepted
the sum of $50,000 " from a supplier
of COVID-19 test kits that he
had helped promote to various
Unifor employers. The union's former
president, she said, allegedly
gave half the funds to a Unifor
employee, who subsequently
handed over
the $25,000 to Payne
and filed a complaint
against Dias under the
union's code of ethics.
Unifor's investigation
began Jan. 26, and
Dias was made aware
of it Jan. 29.
Dias abruptly
Dias: Retired
March 11 after
eight-and-a-half
years at Unifor's
helm, citing medical
issues. On March
23, he said he
would be entering
rehabilitation for
addiction.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
the police involvement is the latest
development to emerge from
allegations made about Dias in
January.
At a March 23 press conference,
Unifor's national executive
board publicly charged the former
leader with violating the union's
constitution, after conducting a
two-month independent external
retired after eight-anda-half
years at Unifor's
helm March 11, citing
medical issues,
and on March 23 said
he would be entering
rehabilitation for
addiction.
" It's hard for me
to say this, but my
coping mechanism
has been painkillers,
sleeping pills and alcohol.
These factors have impaired
my judgment in recent months,
and I owe it to our members to
seek the treatment I need, " Dias
told Unifor members in a March
23 statement, which did not directly
address the allegations made
against him.
At the time, he told Automotive
News Canada that he would be
entering rehabilitation and making
no further comment.
Unifor plans to hold a hearing
to give Dias the opportunity to
defend himself against the national
executive board's charges.
In March, Payne said that was
expected to take place at the
board's next scheduled meeting in
April but added that the timeline
might be adjusted based on his
health. The union has provided no
further details since.
Despite his retirement, Dias
remains a Unifor member, and
the union could suspend or revoke
his membership as a result of the
hearing.
Toronto
police became
involved when
Unifor delivered
the money connected
to the
allegations to
authorities.
" It will now
be for Toronto
police to decide
whether to
investigate any
matter connected
to that
money, and
Unifor has no
role in that decision, "
the union
said in an April
4 statement.
Genesis digs in to build
Canadian presence
Payne: Dias
opted not to
take part in
the union's
investigation
and she said
the findings
were made
on the
" balance of
probabilities. "
PHOTO: UNIFOR
Police confirmed an investigation
was under way a day later but
stressed it remained in " its early
stages. "
" Whenever something is reported
to the police, an investigation
naturally takes place, " Brabant
wrote in an email. - ANC
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Luxury brand revs
up showroom
groundbreakings
across the nation
By DAVID KENNEDY
T ORONTO BUREAU CHIEF
GENESIS MOTORS CANADA
broke ground on two showrooms
in the Toronto area March 31
as the luxury brand's plans to
create a brick-and-mortar presence
coast-to-coast gain
momentum.
" Now we've got brand
visibility on the street,
and we've got a place for
Genesis to call home, "
Executive Director
Lawrence Hamilton
said as Genesis Canada
officials and distributor
partners plunged shovels
into a mound of dirt
in Mississauga, Ont.
The new Genesis
Mississauga retail footprint
will cover more
than 10,000 square feet
(900 square metres)
and include space for
a three-car showroom,
offices and a service
and Sherbrooke, Que., are
already open, while construction
is under way on nine other sites.
Genesis also has five groundbreakings
planned for the next
90 days.
Along with the official start
of work in Mississauga, Genesis
Yorkdale at the north end of
Toronto also began construction
on a dealership March 31.
The site, overlooking a busy
stretch of Highway 401, will
house both the Genesis Yorkdale
experience centre and Toronto
Hyundai, which is relocating
from a nearby location.
The joint dealership
will have a single
service area for both
brands and is expected
to cover roughly
37,000 square feet (3,500
square metres), according
to the Marsim Auto
Group.
Hamilton:
" Now we've
got brand
visibility on
the street,
and we've got
a place for
Genesis to
call home. "
FILE PHOTO
area. The store will be helmed
by Nav Bhatia, the Toronto-area
dealer who has earned international
acclaim as the superfan
of the Toronto Raptors of the
National Basketball Association.
Though it will be a standalone
dealership, it is next door to
Mississauga Hyundai, of which
Bhatia is dealer principal.
A longtime Hyundai dealer
who owns five dealerships in
Toronto, Bhatia was the first to
become a Genesis distributor
when Hyundai's luxury brand
was setting up Canadian operations
and scouting locations five
years ago.
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Bhatia said his Genesis business
has been good even under
its current digital model, but he
expects the new physical location
will help customers with
the touch-and-feel aspects of car
buying.
" I think the business is going
to go really up. "
Mississauga Genesis will join
a fast-growing, countrywide list
of Genesis dealerships. All 30 of
the brand's Canadian distributors
are at various stages of
building showrooms.
Locations in London, Ont.,
Because Hyundai
picked from its network
of dealers when selecting
Genesis distributors
- eventually elevating
30 Hyundai dealers
to become distributors
of the luxury brand -
co-locating is common,
Hamilton said.
" The concept that
we've gone with is to make sure
it's as cost-efficient as possible
for our distributors to build,
and this is where we think automotive
retail is going to go. It's
going to be smaller footprints
and leveraging the assets they
currently have. "
The approach, he said, lets
dealers maximize their investment
in the front office while
sharing resources behind the
scenes.
While the experience centres
will showcase Genesis' growing
lineup of vehicles, the sales process
will continue to take place
wholly online, a key difference
from conventional dealers.
Genesis distributors are
responsible for the investment
in the new showrooms, but a corporate
support program lends
assistance. Hamilton would not
share what portion is Genesis
Canada's investment.
The Mississauga location is
expected to open by the end of
the year. The aggressive timeline
mirrors Genesis' wider plans,
which call for 80 per cent of the
brand's new dealerships to be
under construction by the end of
this year. - ANC
Toronto Raptors superfan
Nav Bhatia was also
Genesis' first distributor
in Canada.
SUPPLIED PHOTO
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Automotive News Canada - April 2022

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