TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford visited a Coca-Cola bottling facility in Brampton on Tuesday, highlighting a $141-million expansion project that the company says will create 500 construction jobs and increase production capacity.Ford toured the plant alongside provincial and municipal officials, including Brampton Deputy Mayor Harkirat Singh, and representatives from Coca-Cola Canada Bottling.The expansion will add a new production line at the Brampton facility, which the company says will allow it to produce an additional 20 million cases annually once complete. The site is expected to become one of the most advanced production lines in the country..Coca-Cola Canada Bottling is an independently owned Canadian company that manufactures and distributes Coca-Cola products domestically. The company previously invested more than $9 million to upgrade operations at its Hamilton facility in 2024.During remarks at the plant, Ford said the investment reflects confidence in Ontario’s manufacturing sector amid ongoing trade tensions with the United States, including tariffs introduced under U.S. President Donald Trump.Ford said the province’s economic strategy focuses on making Ontario more competitive through infrastructure spending, tax reductions and regulatory changes. He pointed to the government’s $223-billion capital plan, which includes funding for highways, hospitals, transit and schools..In Brampton, that includes construction of the Hazel McCallion Line, a light rail transit project that will run through Mississauga and into Brampton, as well as highway expansions in the Greater Toronto Area.The premier also cited the province’s Municipal Housing Infrastructure Program, which has allocated more than $164 million across Peel Region, including $53 million for Brampton, to support the construction of 95,000 homes.Ford said Ontario has attracted more than $213 billion in investment over the past seven years and that more than one million net new jobs have been added since his government took office in 2018..He reiterated the government’s position that lowering taxes and reducing regulatory requirements encourages private-sector investment. Ford said the province has reduced red tape and introduced measures such as cutting the provincial gas tax and eliminating vehicle licence plate renewal fees.The Brampton expansion is expected to strengthen the city’s manufacturing base, which has grown alongside its population. Brampton, once home to roughly 160,000 residents in the 1980s, now has a population exceeding 800,000.Ford said the Coca-Cola investment would support Ontario’s supply chain and create additional indirect employment tied to construction and manufacturing inputs.Company representatives and local officials thanked the province for its support, emphasizing collaboration among municipal, provincial and federal governments in advancing industrial development in the region.
