HAMILTON, Ontario – Maple Leaf Foods Inc. received a grant of C$90,380 for leadership development and worker training at the company’s processing facility in Hamilton.

Approximately 140 employees will benefit from the investment, which will be used for programs that build leadership capacity and drive high performance. Additionally, the funds will pay for training through Mohawk College, which provide education and skills needed to improve efficiency and operations at the Hamilton facility.

“By making strategic investments in local food and beverage processing companies like Maple Leaf, we are strengthening our agri-food sector, creating jobs in local communities and growing Ontario’s economy,” Jeff Leal, Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, said in a statement. “In a fiercely competitive global economy, our government continues to work with companies across our food and beverage processing sector to strengthen the industry and help achieve the Agri-Food Challenge of creating 120,000 new jobs and doubling the sector’s growth rate by 2020.”

Maple Leaf Foods is one of 18 projects in the Hamilton region that have benefited from C$741,706 in provincial and federal government support through the government-funded Growing Forward program, which is a four-part plan that includes expanding access to college and university education.