Monday, August 23, 2021

A Key to Food Sustainability

Local 53 members in southern Ontario are at the forefront of building and maintaining massive greenhouse operations

By Alex Kuiper, Representative

At almost the very southern tip of Canada, on the Lake Erie coast, lies the growing city of Leamington. What was once one of the North American centres for Heinz Ketchup, a title since moved on as has the Heinz company, has now decidedly started to grow a whole lot more than just field tomatoes. As anyone from the region would tell you, French’s is a better alternative anyway—apparently there are other kinds.

Leamington is home to the largest concentration of greenhouses in North America with nearly 2,000 acres under cover. This industry represents $1 billion in farm-gate value and focusses mainly on growing tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and flowers. Tomatoes have a very distinctive place in our cuisine and Canadians eat hundreds of thousands of them over the course of a year. Recently, the cannabis industry has also shown rapid growth in the region.

The landscape when driving through the region, mostly flat fields filled with corn and soybeans, gives way to row upon row of greenhouses. It’s a virtual city made up of glass houses. The labour-exhaustive agricultural practices of the past have also changed. Although still labour intensive, to scale up to a world-class operation, automation and lighting are necessary to make the scale of work possible and to allow for a longer growing period.

This is where Local 53 members come in. Many members have been actively involved in these greenhouse projects. They are the brains behind the automation and electrification of these massive grow operations. Members employed by Anchor Hydro are daily working to make these projects function.

There are other subsidiary markets as well. Local 53 members also help with concrete foundations for the pillars that hold up the glass. They help run thousands of meters of underground plumbing for steam and irrigation. Others help in the manufacture of large diesel generators that act as backups in case of power outages.

These members are able to help companies scale up their operations and are a creating a renewal of the agricultural industry in southern Ontario—an industry already often hard hit by changing market conditions. This increase in production allows for an even greater level of food sustainability for not only local markets, but markets throughout Canada and the United states. This also allows for a substantial reduction in the amount of transportation it takes to get fresh vegetables to Canadian dinner tables allowing for a smaller environmental footprint.

Members enjoy the work but also appreciate being part of something that has an even greater impact on their community. By helping to develop the necessary systems for these massive projects, they’re helping to create a world with better food security now and into the future.

As we also become more conscious of our eating habits, having access to fresh vegetables even during the winter period is a game changer for the Canadian food markets. And CLAC members are there to help make this happen. Their technical skills and abilities are literally what drive this food process and allow these markets to flourish.

A Key to Food Sustainability

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