If you’ve ever driven westbound on Highway 401 east of Cambridge, you’ve likely noticed the ‘bacon beacon’ – the bright orange sign displaying the time and advertising Schneiders meats products.
“I’ve been driving this highway since I was 16, and it’s always been there,” says Rob Beattie, who was driving on the highway Thursday.
“It’s an iconic image when you’re driving on the 401,” agrees Chris Stanley, who was travelling on the 401 with his family Thursday.
“To us, it means that we’re almost home.”
But those driving by the sign this summer aren’t seeing the sign that has stood beside the highway for decades.
The sign’s 17-metre façade has been hidden under a white cover, proclaiming that the sign is taking a ‘summer vacation’ for cleanup and refurbishment and will return in August.
Maple Leaf Foods, which owns Schneiders, says it understands the heritage behind the sign but isn’t commenting on its future.
Employees at the company’s Kitchener plant say they don’t like seeing Maple Leaf spend money on the sign while at the same time beginning to lay off workers in Kitchener.
The Courtland Avenue facility is slated for closure in 2014, but CTV News has learned some operations will be wrapped up – and employees out of work – by early September.
The company says it is working with the City of Kitchener to minimize the impact of the closure on employees and the community.
