A deal to expand a Quebec canning company into Chatham is almost over the finish line.
Chatham-Kent Mayor Darrin Canniff told CK News Today there are still a couple of details to work out, but he's confident a deal to bring Ideal Can to the vacant Crown Metal Processing factory in Chatham will happen in a few months.
"We are certainly very eager that they're coming here and creating over 100 jobs. It's a really good news story for Chatham-Kent and for Ontario for that matter," the mayor said.
The move comes amidst U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, forcing many companies to reassess their supply chains.
Mayor Canniff said it's a great local, provincial, and Canadian story.
"The beauty is that this plant is going to use Canadian steel, it's going to reshore the manufacturing of cans, it will can local things and provide local companies with these cans," said Canniff.
Chatham-Kent Director of Economic Development Services Stuart McFadden said it's just a matter of time before a great company moves into a great building.
"We're on the three-yard line, two-yard line maybe, and we're dotting some Is and crossing some Ts," said McFadden.
Ideal Can supplies local food processors, such as Sun-Brite, Highbury Canco, and Sprague Foods.
Canniff hopes the new $80 million plant with six production lines will be operating in the first quarter of 2026 and will produce 1,000 cans a minute.
