Leclerc moving into former Procter & Gamble plant in Brockville
A Canadian food manufacturer is taking over the former Procter & Gamble plant in Brockville, a move officials say will create more than 200 new jobs.
Quebec City-based Leclerc has announced the purchase of the former factory at 1475 California Avenue, and plans to move production of many of its products, such as the Celebration cookie, to Brockville.
“Huge for the city, and for the entire area,” Brockville mayor Mike Kalivas told CTV News Ottawa. “They are a major player in the food industry, and we so much look forward to having them come to Brockville."
Leclerc aims to get operations up and running at the new plant by July. About 100 jobs will be created right from the start, with more to follow, Kalivass said.
Procter & Gamble was one of Brockville’s largest employers when it announced in 2017 it would close the plant, eliminating about 480 employees. It closed gradually and has sat empty for just over a year.
Charlie Mignault, commissioner of the St. Lawrence Corridor Economic Development Commission, whose mandate is to attract industry and high quality jobs to the region, says they have been in discussion with Leclerc for around 14 months.
"Over a number of months it became clear that this was the spot for Leclerc," Mignault told CTV in the former P&G parking lot. "The fact that the place was up and in good condition was an important element in their decision making. We're also close to the border and the bridge, the I-81 economic corridor, we've got a great workforce here in Eastern Ontario, a highly educated workforce, a great history on manufacturing in the region and really strong demographics."
"Everything is going in the right direction here," he added.
The commission consists of the six municipalities along the St. Lawrence: Brockville, Prescott and the townships of Augusta, Edwardsburgh-Cardinal, Elizabethtown-Kitley, and Front of Yonge.
The former Procter & Gamble plant in Brockville. (Nate Vandermeer/CTV News Ottawa)
Leclerc is investing $85 million into the Brockville plant alone, and it will create more than 200 jobs in teh region.
"These are very good-paying jobs so that's the real boost," Kalivas said. "These are family jobs, so I'm sure that Brockvillians will be clamouring for them."
Leclerc Food is best known for their Celebration cookies and snack bars. The company will also use local ingreidents for those products in Brockville, with eggs coming from nearby Burnbrae Farms in Lyn, Ont.
"It's fantastic news. Having a company the size of Leclerc choose Brockville and have the confidence in Brockville is great," said Rob Nolan, director of economic and development services for the city. "It's going to mean good jobs for the community."
Nolan added the new plant should put a dent in the local unemployment rate.
"I think when P&G closed, there was a lot of concern in the community. We've been able to sort of absorb a lot of those jobs, but this is bringing more jobs back to Brockville and helping with that unemployment rate."
The city says the next steps will be retrofitting the building and getting the site up and running and hold a job fair in the coming months.
The provincial government is pitching in $1.5 million to help facilitate Leclerc’s move to Brockville.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.