For this week’s column, I will be wearing my Regional Councillor hat as I look at some good news happening in the manufacturing sector within Niagara. It is good to see that members of Regional Council realize that even though a particular project may not be happening in their riding, expansion within Niagara in general benefits everyone.
In Fort Erie, Abatement Technologies is carrying out a $20 million dollar expansion, which will include upgrading segments of their manufacturing processes. And adding warehouse capacity. This company is one of Niagara’s leading manufacturers of healthcare products and has made Fort Erie its home for the past 75 years.
In West Lincoln, Stanpac Inc. received $5 million dollars from the federal government to scale up the manufacturing of its new compostable and recyclable packaging, which will create 30 new jobs. Stanpac is an industry leader in paperboard and glass packaging for the dairy and beverage industries, and is the third longest manufacturing business in Niagara by employee count.
Closer to home, General Motors Canada has announced a major investment in their St. Catharines propulsion plant, as it looks to expand its electric vehicle line-up. The investment at the Glendale Avenue plant will support about 500 jobs and enable the production of more than 400,000 EV drive vehicles a year in North America by the year 2025.
In closing, I hope everyone had a great March break, and took time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Friday.
Hang in there, spring is definitely within sight!
