Maple Leaf Foods closing its Brantford, Ont. plant
Maple Leaf Foods announced Wednesday that it is closing its Brantford, Ont. plant in early 2025.
The Canning Street facility was built in 1899 and then rebuilt after a fire in the 1940s.
The company said the building, which is now more than a century old, “would likely require significant ongoing investment to continue long-term operations.”
“Consolidating production into our current network allows us to reallocate our resources and increase our efficiencies by further optimizing the existing, more modern facilities in our network," Curtis Frank, the president and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, said in a media release.
Mayor Kevin Davis was saddened by the decision.
"They told us that it’s just not even practically possible to upgrade [the building]," he said Thursday. "So while we understand the decision they’re making, you know, it's disappointing."
Approximately 170 people currently work at the Brantford facility. They learned about the planned closure on Wednesday.
Maple Leaf Foods is promising to help employees through the transition, potentially offering them jobs at other plants.
"My first concern for the families, for the employees and their families and the impact it’s going to have on them," added Davis. "I was relieved to hear that it’s not going to happen overnight."
The company also pledged to work with the community to find an alternate use for the Canning Street property.
The Maple Leaf Foods plant in Brantford, Ont. on May 23, 2024. (Ashley Bacon/CTV Kitchener)
In an email to CTV News, Maple Leaf Foods said: "We deeply regret the impact on our Brantford team members and in line with our values, will treat them with fairness and respect. We will work with the affected team members to provide support and assistance through this transition. The Brantford plant is central to several other Maple Leaf Foods plant locations including Guelph, London, and Hamilton. Consistent with our track record, we are aiming to support and identify opportunities in our network for those impacted wherever possible."
According to their website, the Brantford site produces approximately 9.4 million kilograms of food a year, including chicken wings and chicken tenders, as well as chicken, turkey and beef fajitas.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Old Montreal kidnapping: search for 4th victim continues as provincial police take over investigation
The investigation into a quadruple kidnapping in Old Montreal has been transferred to Quebec provincial police.
FDA warns company against selling products containing human fecal matter to those in U.S. and Canada. Here's what Health Canada says about selling these products
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a warning letter to a company appearing to sell products containing human fecal matter without approval from the agency.
A new study shows that 1 year of this kind of exercise yields results 4 years later
Exercise is good, but resistance training with heavy weight is great! That's especially true if you are looking to maintain strength in older age, a new study shows.
'We're enraged': Tori Dunn’s father shares her heartbreaking final moments
Hundreds of mourners gathered at a vigil in Surrey Bend Regional Park Saturday evening to honour Tori Dunn, who was killed in the city’s Port Kells neighbourhood last weekend.
Conservative surge combined with ballot confusion could crack a Liberal stronghold in Toronto byelection
Growing political discontent in a Liberal stronghold could lead to a Conservative breakthrough in an Ontario byelection that may put Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership to the test. On Monday, voters in the riding of Toronto-St. Paul's will head to the polls to elect a new member of Parliament.
Former first lady Melania Trump stays out of the public eye as Donald Trump runs for president
After Melania Trump missed key events in her husband's presidential bid earlier this year — from the kickoff of the 2024 election in Iowa to Donald Trump's Super Tuesday victory party — reporters asked the former first lady whether she planned to hit the campaign trail. Her response: "Stay tuned."
Death toll at Hajj pilgrimage rises to 1,300 amid scorching temperatures
More than 1,000 people died during this year's Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia as the faithful faced extreme high temperatures at Islamic holy sites in the desert kingdom, officials said Sunday.
Why Mount Rainier is the U.S. volcano keeping scientists up at night
The snowcapped peak of Mount Rainier, which towers 4.3 kilometres (2.7 miles) above sea level in Washington state, has not produced a significant volcanic eruption in the past 1,000 years. Yet, more than Hawaii’s bubbling lava fields or Yellowstone’s sprawling supervolcano, it’s Mount Rainier that has many U.S. volcanologists worried.
1 person found dead and 2 still missing after floods, rockslide hit a Swiss Alpine village
Rescuers in Switzerland have found the body of one of three people a day after they were swept away in a rockslide that hit their Alpine village following massive thunderstorms and rainfall, authorities said Sunday. The other two are still missing.