It’s Evolution, Baby?
For over 100 years, Heinz brand ketchup (and other products) were produced at a processing plant in Leamington, Ontario. Then, in 2014, the company decided that their corporation was about money and nothing else. They closed down the plant, leaving many without employment.
This, of course, is nothing new. And, it’s certainly not a United States versus Canada thing. It’s a corporations versus everyone thing. The same thing is going on a few hundred kilometres east on the 401 in Oshawa, Ontario. After a century or so, General Motors has decided that Mexican built vehicles are far superior to those built in Canada.
Will these decisions made in a corporate office by a bunch of douchebags destroy these communities? 20-30 years ago, the answer would be a definite ‘yes’. In 2019, life goes on. We’ve become accustomed to getting screwed by ‘The Man’ and have become quite good at re-invented our environment.
An Outsider’s Observations Of The Town Heinz Shafted
I’ve been to Leamington a handful of times. I once had family there but they have since moved on. In fact, they were employed at the very Heinz plant that was the identity of the town.
My first ‘overnighter’ with my now wife was a weekend on Pelee Island. The ferry shown in the picture above shuttles people and vehicles to and from Leamington and this wine producing island in Lake Erie.
One of most horrific sports experiences of my youth happened a few kilometres down the road in Kingsville. Destined to take a baseball tournament there with a lineup up just nine players, I was kicked out of a game for arguing a call. I was clearly safe sliding into second base. I mean, it wasn’t even close. Because we only had nine players, our time in the tournament was done. Over 30 years later, I still get angry anytime I get near that place.
Besides that, I confess to know little about Leamington. Yet, when passing through recently (to take the video shown below), what I saw wasn’t a rustbelt style decaying town but one that remains quite vibrant. Farming continues but, I assume by the smell, garlic is taking over for tomatoes. Plus, it seems a lot of the agriculture is moving inside.
The Heinz plant has been taken over by a new company and is fully operational. Judging by the highway traffic, the town serves as a bedroom community for the larger centre of Windsor, Ontario. Positioned on Lake Erie with the ferry terminal prominent on the waterfront, tourism is obviously still a viable part of the economy.
As a casual observer, I would say the town is doing pretty good. I, as evidenced by the videos in our YouTube channel, have observed the downtown cores in many of Ontario’s cities and towns. Many that are supposed to on the leading edge look a lot less prosperous than Leamington (and Oshawa, for that matter).
Leamington, Ontario Downtown Driving Tour
The video below is a driving tour around the downtown core of Leamington, Ontario. We then drive south, past the former Heinz plant, ending in the parking lot for the Pelee Islander.
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thu
Pic Of The Day 