First Phase of Highway 401 Service Centres Complete

Full Complement of Restaurants and Other Amenities Now Open

TORONTO, Oct 1 /CNW/ - The driving experience along Highway 401 improves significantly today with the opening of seven service centres built and managed by Host Kilmer Service Centres (HKSC). These new ONroute Centres are part of the Province of Ontario's redevelopment program of 23 service centres along Highways 401 and 400. 

"Redeveloping our highway service centres is part of the McGuinty government's Open Ontario plan to invest in our infrastructure and create opportunities for Ontario families. These state-of-the art service centres will serve motorists better and help showcase our province in a positive way," said Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Minister of Transportation.

The new dining selections, ranging from Tim Hortons, A&W and Coldstone Creamery, to KFC, BURGER KING® and Taco Bell are featured throughout the network of new centres. These quick service restaurants supplement the Canadian Tire gas stations/convenience stores and washroom facilities that opened earlier this summer east of the GTA on Highway 401 at Bainsville, Morrisburg, and Trenton North, and west of the GTA on Highway 401 at Tilbury North and Tilbury South, Dutton and West Lorne.

"We are proud to open these centres on time and with full services as promised," said HostKilmer representatives Ken Tanenbaum, Executive Vice President, Kilmer Group, and HMSHost Vice President, Michael Jones.

"We appreciate the patience of Ontario travellers during the construction period, and we're confident they will agree that these clean, comfortable and state-of-the-art travel centres are places worth celebrating."

Motorists will also find The Market, a custom travel retail store that features an outstanding selection of fresh gourmet "foods to go" as well as newspapers, maps and magazines. Convenience and travel items, including everyday essentials, add to the many offerings and amenities travellers will now find along the highway.

"The partnership between Canadian Tire's gas bars and convenience stores and Host Kilmer's ONroute Centres delivers outstanding value, services and experiences to travellers," said Bruce Allen, President of Canadian Tire Petroleum. "Our sites will offer top-quality gas, great service and an opportunity to earn Canadian Tire 'Money'^®."

"These service centres reflect the Ontario brand creatively, are designed to accommodate current green technology, and are adaptable to the needs of travellers in the future," said Les Klein, Principal of Quadrangle Architects. "It is important that we offer travellers a consistent, excellent experience and a design that reflects the nearby communities."  

Staffed tourist information centres are located at the Tilbury South and Bainsville ONroute centres. These Highway 401 centre locations are the gateways to the province from the east and west.

Larry Daer, EllisDon's Executive in Charge of Construction said, "We are pleased to achieve this important milestone with HostKilmer on the Province service centre project. This redevelopment process encompasses a complete design-build of these centres, including having them built to target LEED® Silver certification. This will significantly improve travellers' experience across Ontario's busiest highway."

The roster of dining, convenience and service offerings now available includes:

Tilbury North Highway 401 W Tim Hortons BURGER KING^®The Market	Tilbury South Highway 401 W Tim Hortons BURGER KING^®The Market	Morrisburg Highway 401 E Tim Hortons BURGER KING^®The Market
Trenton North Highway 401 E Tim Hortons A&W Cold Stone Creamery Pizza Pizza The Market	Dutton Highway 401 W Tim Hortons A&W Cold Stone Creamery Taco Bell KFC The Market	West Lorne Highway 401 W Tim Hortons A&W Taco Bell KFC The Market
Bainsville Highway 401 E Tim Hortons BURGER KING^®The Market

Construction on the three subsequent phases will continue through to 2012, and openings for these phases will follow in 2011 through 2013. For construction updates and more information about the phased construction schedule, please visit: www.mto.gov.on.ca. For updates specific to the centres, the customer experience or to apply for a job, please visit www.onroute.ca.

About HostKilmer Service Centers

HostKilmer Service Centers Inc. is an alliance between the world leader in travel dining and shopping and a well-recognized Canadian company with extensive experience in building public infrastructure. 

With more than US$2.5 billion in annual sales and 34,000 employees, HMSHost operates restaurants and retail stores in 101 travel plazas throughout the U.S. and Canada. The Company also provides travellers with exceptional dining and shopping options in 111 airports worldwide, including Toronto's Pearson International Airport and the top 20 busiest airports in North America. HMSHost is a part of Autogrill Group, the world's leading provider of food & beverage and retail services for people on the move. With sales of €5.7 billion in 2009, Autogrill Group operates in 43 countries and employs some 70,000 people. It manages over 5,500 stores in more than 1,200 locations worldwide. Visit www.HMSHost.com for more information.

For more than 40 years, Kilmer Van Nostrand has been building Canadian businesses through long-term, stable investments in areas as diverse as construction and building products, sports, cable television and publishing, food processing and environmental rehabilitation. Kilmer Van Nostrand's better known interests include: Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto FC) and Insight Sports Ltd, a founding partner of the NHL Network and World Fishing Network.

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