Across the Prairies, town and city managers are waiting for the call that means they’ve been chosen by food giant Maple Leaf Foods to be home to a new hog slaughtering plant.
“It’s like applying for a job you really want and waiting for the phone to ring,” said Don Allan, manager of the Brandon Economic Development Board.
Allan has a reason to be hopeful. After Brandon’s initial proposal, officials for the company asked for additional information on infrastructure and costs.
While Brandon made it on the short list, so have other communities looking for the economic boost a $70 million hog slaughtering plant would bring. More than 70 communities applied.
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Maple Leaf Foods of Toronto owns the former Gainers plant in Edmonton and has served notice it is looking to build a state-of-the-art hog slaughtering facility somewhere in Western Canada. The plant would double Maple Leaf’s present 22,000 hog per week slaughter capacity to 50,000 and increase its 900 staff to 1,500.
“This is a very major development,” said Allan. “It means major growth in the city and spinoff of investment in the region.”
But folks in Edmonton are hoping they have a strong enough proposal to keep the facility in their city or in a neighboring municipality.
“We’ve put in a proposal and we think it’s a strong proposal,” said Lindsay Daniller, vice-president of corporate communications for Economic Development Edmonton.
She said they’ve had good co-operation from surrounding regions in an attempt to keep the plant.
“When you employ a large amount of people … it causes a tremendous amount of economic impact to the region,” she said.
In the initial proposal, the Florida-based Stellar Group, hired to look after the plant proposals, said it would require at least 40 acres of land, and about 250 acres if there’s no existing sewage treatment system. Also desired is an area near a major highway and close to a good supply of hogs.
Each province is emphasizing its strengths. Manitoba has its low feed grain prices, the biggest input into hogs. Alberta is stressing its proximity to Japan and other Eastern markets making it cheaper to ship the finished product.
Saskatchewan says it is central to a good supply of hogs from all provinces.
Derek Murray, acting executive director of the Regina Economic Development Authority, said the plant would be an economic benefit to any region.
“It’s sure got everyone intrigued in the West. I’m pleased to see we’re still in the running.”
Stellar Group is expected to submit a report to Maple Leaf within two weeks.
Linda Smith, a spokesperson for a Toronto-based firm handling media inquires, said no decision has been made on the plant.
