BULLDOZERS are flattening the 18.8 acre site where Campbell’s Soup stood for more than 90 years in New Toronto (below). Photo by Tom Godfrey.
A sign of the times in South Etobicoke.
Another piece of history is being lost as an army of bulldozers have begun to flatten the Campbell Soup site, which has been a mainstay of the community for almost 100 years.
Mountains of rubble are all that’s left of the iconic U.S. company, which was established in 1931, and has hired generations of families from the area.
Some former Campbell employees were on hand to witness as the last of the historic manufacturing companies that once settled in the area was demolished. Major companies like Goodyear Tire, Anaconda Steel, Gilbey’s Distillery and many others are long gone.
Campbell in its heyday employed more than 600 people and purchased tonnes of vegetables and other products from hundreds of farmers in southern Ontario.
The new owners of the property, QuadReal Property Group and Weston Consulting, have grand plans for the huge eight-building 18.8-acre complex at 60 Birmingham St., at Dwight Ave.
A site plan filed by the company features three new one-story industrial warehouse spaces that will replace the smaller buildings and a series of exterior Campbell facades from 1931 and 1944 will be retained.
The company announced its closure in 2018 but officially shut in 2019. The closure of the plant saw 380 people laid off. Company president Ana Dominguez said the building simply couldn’t be retrofitted into something new and economically viable.
The redevelopment will provide on-site parking for 285 vehicles. A total of 86 loading dock spaces are proposed as part of the redevelopment to support typical warehouse distribution operations.
Members of the community have filed a 600-name petition against the project, which they claim will increase truck traffic, dust and noise in the area.
“Our neighbourhood is already carrying lots of responsibilities on its shoulder, housing THC, a Women’s Shelter and a Waste Management plant” wrote irate resident Zsuzsanna Lichner.
“It seems like the neighbourhood is becoming a dumping ground of truck depots, waste management and social services, effectively inhibiting our community’s growth,” Lichner said.
She said “residents had to go the extra mile and collect over 600 signatures for a petition to (obtain) a simple information session from the developer. “
“This session was extremely one-sided, with minimal time for the residents’ questions,” she noted.