Ontario Gov’t Invests $25M in Maple Leaf Foods PlantOntario Gov’t Invests $25M in Maple Leaf Foods Plant

The government of Ontario revealed plans Tuesday to invest CAD$34.5 million (about $25.9 million) over the coming five years to support the opening of a new Maple Leaf Foods chicken processing plant in London, ON. 

“This is the largest investment in the history of Ontario’s agriculture sector. It demonstrates industry confidence in our growing economy, and it’s another example of how we’re making Ontario open for business,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a press release by provincial government. “It’s great to see a company like Maple Leaf investing here in London. This innovative new plant will modernize processing and help make Ontario’s chicken farmers more competitive.”

Maple Leaf Foods is investing about CAD$658 million in the new 640,000-sq-ft processing facility, and said the site will meet rigorous sustainability, food safety, and animal welfare standards.

“It will incorporate leading edge food safety, environmental, and animal care technologies that advance our vision to be a global leader in sustainable protein. This is a historic investment in the Canadian poultry sector, providing significant stakeholder and economic benefits and ensuring that Canada has sufficient domestic processing capacity to meet forecasted poultry production and demand,” said Michael H. McCain, president and chief executive officer of Maple Leaf Foods, in a company release. 

The company plans to start construction on the plant this spring, with the site slated to become operational sometime in the second quarter of 2021.

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