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
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their 'extremely dangerous' experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.