page_title: Leamington, Ontario
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Leamington, Ontario / Economy
caption_attribution_description: Tomatoes being transported in Leamington, Ontario. The smoke stack of the former Heinz processing factory can be seen in the distance.
context_page_description: Leamington is a municipality in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. With a population of 27,595 in the Canada 2016 Census, it is the second-largest municipality in the Windsor-Essex County area. It includes Point Pelee National Park, the southernmost point of mainland Canada.
  Known since the 20th century as the "Tomato Capital of Canada", it is the location of a tomato processing factory owned by Highbury-Canco; founded in 1908, the plant was owned until 2014 by the H. J. Heinz Company. Due to its location in the southernmost part of Canada, Leamington uses the motto "Sun Parlour of Canada".
context_section_description: The H. J. Heinz company established a factory in 1908 in Leamington. The Heinz products are shipped from the city with both English and French labels, mostly to the United States. Ketchup and baby food are the main products. In November 2013 Heinz announced that it would close the Leamington plant in 2014, meaning job losses for 740 employees at the plant and hundreds more support workers. 
  Regional and local businessmen worked to save the plant. A campaign was conducted on Facebook to raise support and funds. As a 54-year-old law in Canada bans the use of tomato paste in tomato juice, thus requiring fresh tomatoes, they arranged a deal whereby Highbury Canco took over the plant in 2014. It produces tomato juice and other products for Heinz. Around 250 workers still process canned products at the over 100-year-old factory.
  Leamington has also been known for its greenhouses. It now has the largest concentration of commercial greenhouses in all of North America, with 1,969 acres (797 ha) of greenhouse vegetable production in the general area. Major products of the greenhouse industry, in addition to tomatoes, are peppers, cannabis, cucumbers, roses, and other flowers. Hydroponic farming has been very successfully adopted by many greenhouse operators in Leamington. Historically, tobacco was an important crop in the area. Tobacco production declined in the 1960s and today is virtually nonexistent.
  Migrant workers, mostly Mexican and Caribbean seasonal labourers, annually arrive in the region to work in Leamington's greenhouses and farms. Several Mexican and Jamaican shops and a Mexican consulate have opened to serve the migrants.
  With the legalization of recreational cannabis coming into effect on October 17, 2018, Leamington has become a hotspot for North America's cannabis production. Aphria, the largest marijuana greenhouse operation in Canada, is traded on the TSX and NYSE and is becoming one of the largest employers in the Municipality.
caption: Tomatoes being transported in Leamington.  The smoke stack of the former Heinz processing factory can be seen in the distance on the left.
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