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Hamilton to be site of massive new bakery

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Hamilton to be site of massive new bakery
Canada Bread Co. Ltd. has reached an agreement in principle with the City of Hamilton for a 25-acre property in the 480-acre North Glanbrook Industrial Park, where Canada Bread plans to construct a new 375,000-square-foot bakery facility.

Feb. 18, 2010, TORONTO –
Canada Bread Co. Ltd. has reached an agreement in principle with the
City of Hamilton for a 25-acre property in the 480-acre North Glanbrook
Industrial Park, where Canada Bread plans to construct a new
375,000-square-foot bakery facility.



"We are very pleased to be growing our presence in Hamilton through this $100 million investment to establish a world-class bakery facility," said Canada Bread president and CEO Richard Lan. "This city is a great location to support our continued growth with a skilled workforce, excellent infrastructure, and ready access to markets. These benefits collectively led to our decision."

The government of Canada, through the Southern Ontario Development Program, will provide $2 million in the form of a repayable contribution to be used towards pre-engineering and design activities to build the new bakery facility.

Canada Bread already has a strong presence in Hamilton where it employs approximately 340 people at its Fresh Bakery and Olivieri pasta facilities. The investment in the new facility will support up to 300 jobs with an additional 31 hourly positions being created on a seasonal basis. During the construction phase, an estimated 110-120 construction jobs will also be created.

"We are thrilled to be the new home to Canada's largest bread maker," said Hamilton Mayor Fred Eisenberger. "The $100 million investment by Canada Bread is a major economic boost for Hamilton, bringing jobs and helping to transform our local economy."

The company and the City of Hamilton will now proceed with completing all the engineering and permitting requirements, including obtaining regulatory approvals. Once complete and the land is acquired, construction is expected to begin by June 2010, with the first production lines being commissioned approximately 12 months later.

The new facility will be designed to obtain certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program once construction and commissioning is completed. The LEED Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings.

Members of the community with questions about the company's construction plans should direct their inquiries to the Canada Bread Information Line at 1-888-269-4393 or email information@canadabread.ca.

Canada Bread, which is 89.8 per cent owned by Maple Leaf Foods Inc., is a leading manufacturer and distributor of fresh bakery products, frozen par-baked products and fresh pasta and sauces. It had 2008 sales of $1.7 billion and employs approximately 8,500 people at its operations across North America and in the United Kingdom.