What’s with the Inglis sign off the Gardiner?

Founded in 1859, the appliance manufacturer John Inglis and Sons built a plant on Strachan Avenue, near the Ex, in 1881. Today, the only reminder of the downtown factory, which once employed 17,000, is the billboard, erected in 1975 and intended to cheer up passing drivers. (One suspects that chestnuts like the future holds great promise for those who have faith in it may have bemused as many drivers as they’ve inspired.) Technicians used to update the sign manually, selecting quotations from writers and philosophers. To-day, changes are automatically zapped over from the company’s Mississauga head office. Wags in the marketing department write the slogan du jour.