Frigidaire products were first placed on the market in Canada in the early 1920's when the name "Frigidaire" appeared only on household and commercial refrigeration equipment. All of it was imported complete from Dayton, Ohio, and marketed through distributors who handled the company's Delco-Light farm lighting plants. DELCO-LIGHT COMPANY OF CANADA LIMITED, Oshawa: Oracle? Later, distribution was made through company-operated sales offices and warehouses located in Toronto, St. Johns, Hamilton, London, Winnipeg and Montreal. In 1932, an assembly plant with warehouse facilities was established in the west end of Toronto and operations were carried on there for five years, by which time the rapidly-increasing demand for "the ice man who comes once and remains always" had made further expansion necessary. In 1937, therefore, Frigidaire leased what at that time was considered very large quarters on Commercial Road, Leaside--the important industrial suburb of Toronto. A modernization project was initiated that provided a 300 per cent increase in prewar production capacity and included an all-new porcelain enamelling plant, which was one of the largest and most modern in Canada. It was expected to take care of Frigidaire's requirements for many years to come, but the expanded factory had been in operation only four years when an unprecedented demand for Frigidaire products once more made plant and administration facilities inadequate. Further expansion was not possible at Leaside, and it was decided in 1950 that an entirely new plant should be built. New Plant in 1952The location selected was an eighty-six-acre tract of land just outside the eastern limits of Toronto in the municipality of Scarborough, Ontario, and ground was broken there in August, 1950. It is a growing industrial section adjacent to a large new residential area, which provides modern close-by housing for employees. The new plant was completed and operations commenced in May, 1952. Plant and offices are contained in one building located well back from the road on landscaped grounds. A covered railway siding runs along the entire length of the building, so that freight cars and trucks can be brought right into the plant to deliver materials or to receive finished products almost directly from the crating lines. Frigidaire Products and Users--These include household refrigerators, household electric ranges, food freezers, automatic washers, electric clothes dryers, dishwashers, built-in appliances such as wall ovens counter top and fold-back cooking units: electric dehumidifiers, compressors, cooling units, refrigeration controls, air conditioners, ice cream cabinets, beverage coolers, water coolers reach-in refrigerators, milk coolers, biological refrigerators and frozen food cabinets, which are in general use in Canada. Use of Frigidaire commercial refrigeration and air conditioning equipment is also Canada-wide. Retail food stores are extensive users of Frigidaire equipment for walk-in and reach-in refrigerators and also for various types of refrigerated display counters. Hotels and restaurants use Frigidaire air conditioning for the comfort of their patrons and Frigidaire refrigeration for such purposes as beverage cooling, ice-making, food preservation, preparation and serving facilities. Locker storage plants use Frigidaire-supplied equipment for retail display, for quick-freezing foods and for low-temperature cooling of locker rooms. Use in bakeries includes dough-retarding in addition to the preservation of perishable ingredients. Apartment houses are large users of Frigidaire household refrigerators in individual or multiple units. Hospitals and other institutions use Frigidaire equipment for such widely varied purposes as blood banks, mortuary cabinets biological refrigerators, ice-making, as well as food preservation. Business offices use Frigidaire air conditioning and Frigidaire water coolers. Distribution Methods--In Eastern Canada, Frigidaire household appliances and commercial products are distributed direct from the factory to the company's many hundreds of authorized dealers from Ontario to the Atlantic coast. In a few areas, "major" dealers also have one or more sub-dealers. Management--Frigidaire Products of Canada Limited is a Division of General Motors Corporation. Those who head the company to-day are mainly individuals who have participated in its growth almost from the beginning. The chief executives are: W.C. Cannon, president and general manager; W.C. Kennedy, executive vice-president. Address--Frigidaire Products of Canada Limited, 1901 Eglinton Avenue East, Scarborough, Ont.
From my notes:
Scarborough, Toronto, Plant opened as a Frigidaire Plant making Canadian domestic products in 1952. Then, in 1963 commercial fractional horsepower motors was transferred from St Catherines to G.M. Diesel in London, Ontario, where the Diesel and Electric locomotives were built as well as Diesel motors. In 1964, manufacture of Radios, Horns and then Shock Absorbers was transferred to Scarborough. In 1966, prop-shaft manufacture was also transferred.
With the phase-out of domestic products, the Plant was retooled to build vans instead, being allocated the Plant Code 194 as the last new assembly Plant apart from the CAMI AUTOMOTIVE INC. Plant in Ingersoll, Ontario that built, e.g. Geo Trackers [Suzuki-designed S.U.V.s, sold by Chevrolet dealers introduced for the 1990 Model Year. The ScarboroughGlobe & Mail local newspaper of 8 May 1993 stated that van production started in 1974 but Scarborough Mirror 8-9 May 1993 states that the building was converted to a van Plant sometime in 1973, which is probably correct, i.e. 1973 for 1974 production which started 2 September 1973. Certainly there were 1975 Model vans from Scarborough. The Scarborough Plant produced their millionth van in 1986. It finally closed on 6 May 1993. RIP! The Postal Address was 1901 Eglington Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario.
-- Edited by Oracle on Saturday 17th of July 2010 03:46:45 AM
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Automotive Historian, Author and Journalist Deputy Editor, VINTAGE ROADSCENE Southampton, England
I have aerial photos of this plant just converting them to a file format that can be uploaded. This plant is in Scarborough and I grew up in East York which is about a 10 minute drive to the west, the border would be a mere 2 minutes, so I am very familar with this area. Many friends parents and nieghbours worked there as both Fridigdaire and GM Van.
The grounds were always meticulously kept along the Eglinton Avenue facade and huge illuninated signs announced to the world was was housed there. These signs were set on the lawn on pedestals and stood about 8 to 10 feet high so that they were at eye level basically of passing motorists.
As a boy this area was predominated by the Golden Mile Shopping Plaza one of the first of it's kind in Canada which was officially open by Queen Elizabeth II. This Commercial Industrial area was characterize by spacious lawns and open spaces. Another shopping plaza was established about 1954 to the west of the plant known as Eglinton Square. The Golden Mile has since been demolished but Eglinton Square still thrives today.
Today directly across the street from the old plant site is an enormous Wall Mart mall with many national brand stores contained therein.
The Van plant site today hosts Eglinton Centre Shopping , with Old Navy, Canadian Tire, Globo, CIBC, Tip Top, Big and Tall, Tim Hortons, Wendy's, Caseys, East Side Marios, Mr. Greek, Fox & Firkin, Imperial Buffet and a 10 theatre Odeon complex. In addition there is at the south end a huge TTC maintenace yard for transit buses. To the east is a Huge Rona, Lowes, Future Shop, Provincial Court etc... A new street was created through the centre of the site running north south from Eglintion to Comstock, which was the southern service road to the plant, name Lebovic Avenue.
We would often go along Comstock because the holding yards were to the south and east of the plant and view the newly built vehicles. As I recall there were completed full sized Vans both GMC and Chevrolet and special purpose commercial chassis that were produced there.
