Canada Bread to close Quebec bakery

Feb. 22, 2017, TORONTO — Canada Bread Co. Ltd. plans to close its bakery in St-Côme-Linière, Que., May 19. Products made at the St-Côme-Linière bakery can be baked at other bakeries in Quebec where there is available capacity.

“Our industry is under mounting competitive pressure to become more efficient and this means we have to make very difficult decisions,” said Canada Bread vice-president Jennifer Park. “We have been losing volume year-over-year in this facility and have made every effort to maintain the facility. As a result, we must consolidate the volume into another bakery in Quebec where we bake the same products and have the capacity to take on this volume. While this is the business reality, it is hard to make the necessary changes. We are doing everything possible to ease the impact on our people.”

Canada Bread is also moving roll-line production from its bakery in Beauport to its bakery in Vincent-Massey, which is located 10 kilometres away in Quebec City effective September 2017. The company expects that the majority of associates will transfer to Vincent-Massey by March 2018 when it begins roll production to meet the summer season peak demand.

The bread baked at St-Côme-Linière and rolls from Beauport will continue to be baked in Quebec, with the exclusion of one Panini SKU being absorbed within Wholesome Harvest Baking’s existing network. Jobs and production will not be moved to other parts of Canada or other countries.

The facility in St-Côme-Linière employs approximately 56 associates and bakes pantry bread. Affected associates will receive severance packages, as well as personal counselling and ongoing outplacement services and workshops. They will also be encouraged to seek employment at other Canada Bread facilities.