Media Advisory - Maple Leaf Foods and the London Economic Development Corporation to host press conference recognizing historic investment in the Canadian poultry industry together with the Government of Canada, the Government of Ontario and the City of London Français
MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 26, 2018 /CNW/ - The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, His Worship Mayor Matt Brown, Mayor of London, Ontario to attend a press conference with Maple Leaf Foods and the London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) to discuss the details of a historic investment in the Canadian poultry industry announced earlier today.
Media Availability Details
Who: |
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The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food |
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The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario |
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His Worship Matt Brown, Mayor of London, Ontario |
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Michael H. McCain, President and CEO, Maple Leaf Foods |
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Kapil Lakhotia, President and CEO, London Economic Development Corporation (LEDC) |
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Ed Benjamins, Chair, Chicken Farmers of Ontario |
What: Media availability and photo op |
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When: |
Tuesday, November 27, 2018 |
8:30 a.m. Media registration |
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8:45 a.m. Event begins |
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Where: Canadian Centre for Product Validation (CCPV), 2555 Bonder Road, London, ON GET DIRECTIONS |
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More information:
The investment announced Monday, November 26, 2018 at 4:30pm EST involves the construction of a $660 million value-added fresh poultry facility in London, Ontario.
The new 640,000 square feet facility is expected to be one of the most technologically advanced poultry-processing plants in the world, with leading-edge food safety, environmental, and animal welfare processes and technologies.
Funding for the project includes a capital investment of approximately $605.5 million from Maple Leaf Foods, an investment of $34.5 million from the Government of Ontario and a $20 million investment from the Government of Canada under the Strategic Innovation Fund. In addition, the Company is receiving a $8 million loan from the AgriInnovate Fund. As part of the federal funding agreement, Maple Leaf will invest a further $5 million over the next five years on projects that accelerate adoption of advanced manufacturing and production technologies and support the Company's goal to reduce its environmental footprint by 50% by 2025.
Construction at the London site is expected to begin in the spring of 2019, with start-up planned to commence in the second quarter of 2021. The new plant will initially support over 1,450 direct full and part-time jobs, with additional job growth as production volumes increase over time. Maple Leaf will work closely with local agencies to recruit and train people and provide skilled jobs in a safe and inclusive workplace. Construction is expected to generate approximately 300 jobs, with almost 85% of project expenditures supporting domestic construction and installation contractors. The facility is expected to create a further 1,400 indirect jobs in the supplies and services sector and generate an estimated $1.2 billion of annual economic activity once it is fully operational.
London is recognized as a provincially significant food and beverage processing hub, with more than 60 companies employing over 7,000 people. Located in the heart of Southwestern Ontario's rich agricultural farm belt, London is the ideal location for this long-term investment, offering close proximity to raw materials and major markets.
Quotes:
"This world-class facility will enable Maple Leaf to meet the steadily growing consumer demand for premium, value-added poultry products, and strengthen Canada's food system. It will incorporate leading edge food safety, environmental and animal care technologies that advance our vision to be the 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."
- Michael H. McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods
"Our government is excited to invest in Maple Leaf Foods' project to help bring new innovations to Canada's food processing industry, keep Canada competitive in the global market and create new middle class jobs in Ontario. This new state-of-the-art facility demonstrates how innovation is creating jobs and helping the environment with more sustainable poultry processing.
- The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
"Canada's agri-food industry is a key driver of innovation and well-paying jobs across the country. Our government is proud to invest in Maple Leaf Foods, helping to position Canada as a globally competitive player in the food processing sector and to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of our agricultural sector."
- The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
"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. 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."
- The Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario
"I would like to welcome Maple Leaf Foods to London," said His Worship Mayor Matt Brown. "London's commitment to world-class infrastructure and a robust industrial land strategy put London in a competitive position to attract an investment of this magnitude."
- His Worship Matt Brown, Mayor of London, Ontario
About Maple Leaf Foods
Maple Leaf Foods Inc. is a leading consumer protein company, making high quality, innovative products under national brands including Maple Leaf®, Maple Leaf Prime®, Maple Leaf Natural Selections®, Schneiders®, Schneiders® Country Naturals®, Mina®, Lightlife™ and Field Roast Grain Meat Co.™. The Company employs approximately 11,500 people and does business in Canada, the U.S. and Asia. The Company is headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario and its shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MFI).
SOURCE Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
Maple Leaf Foods, [email protected], 1-888-995-5030; London Economic Development Corporation, Ashley Conyngham, Director, Marketing & Communications, Mobile: 519-494-9716, Email: [email protected]
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