Barrie manufacturing company announces significant expansion that will create new jobs
A Barrie manufacturing company unveiled a new 75,000-square-foot expansion to its distribution centre on Veteran's Drive in the city's south end.
"It's a great opportunity to showcase our growth. Since we came to Barrie in 1974, we've been growing as a company. This site is actually our second site because we outgrew the space for our production site on Patterson Road," said the president of Canplas Industries Ltd., Rich Schlieker.
While the added space allows more room for the company's plastic construction products, it's also expected to create eight quality jobs on top of the engineers and highly skilled trades workers Canplas already employs.
"Within this site we're talking about mostly a logistics warehouse facility but all the jobs here are high paying jobs," explained Schlieker.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
The announcement comes at a time when Barrie's mayor wants to make the city a hub for people in the region to live and work, but he said planning for the future is difficult due to the lack of industrial supply.
"We need to make sure that there's enough jobs in Barrie for the folks who live here and in the surrounding areas. And certainly, there's enough space and land available for those we are employing people to be able to expand their businesses here," said Mayor Alex Nuttall.
"Barrie is perfectly located to have people work and live close to home, so we're excited about being part of that, and we'd like to see more of that in Barrie for sure," added Schlieker.
Nuttall said seeing the company's commitment to the community is great. Not just moving here but growing here, too.
"Barrie's proven to be a great home for us as far as the labour force is concerned and the ability to find skilled labour as well. We've been able to grow from there and reach right across Canada and into the United States and around the world for export with our products," said Schlieker.
While Canplas only broke ground on the major expansion early in the summer, the new wing of the distribution facility is expected to be active and operational within the first few months of 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories

WATCH 'Jumped over their heads': Kangaroo escapes zoo east of Toronto
A kangaroo destined for Quebec escaped during an overnight stay at a zoo east of Toronto Friday morning. Anyone who spots the marsupial is being asked to report the sighting to a community-run pet organization in Oshawa, Ont.
With Canada set to reimpose cap on working hours, international students worry about paying for tuition, living expenses
Canada is set to reimpose the cap on the number of hours that international students can work off campus. But with heightened cost-of-living concerns in Canada, many international students say they're not sure how they'll be able to afford their tuition and living expenses if they can't work full-time.
Environment Canada calls for mild, rainy winter for most of Canada
Winter will be unusually warm and rainy across much of the country this year, according to the latest data from Environment and Climate Change Canada.
More salmonella-contaminated fruits pulled amid outbreak: Here's what was recalled in Canada this week
Here's a list of recalled items that got taken off the shelves this week
Here's what parents and youth can do to prevent or deal with sextortion
With sextortion being a growing problem in Canada, there are tips and resources online to help parents, caregivers and youth address it.
U.S. House expels New York Rep. George Santos. It's just the sixth expulsion in the chamber's history
The U.S. House voted Friday to expel GOP Rep. George Santos, a historic vote that will make the New York congressman the sixth lawmaker ever to be expelled from the chamber.
Suspect charged with 4 counts of second-degree murder in Winnipeg mass shooting
A suspect has been charged with four counts of second-degree murder in connection with the Langside homicide.
Alleged Montreal-area 'Chinese police stations' planning to sue RCMP for $2.5 million
Two Chinese community centres in the Montreal area are planning to launch a $2.5 million defamation lawsuit against the RCMP and the Attorney General of Canada after being accused by the police force of hosting 'alleged Chinese police stations.'
Former Sask. hockey coach found guilty of sexual assault and assault
Former Saskatchewan junior hockey coach Bernard (Bernie) Lynch was found guilty by a Regina Court of King’s Bench judge on Friday of sexual assault and assault stemming from incidents that took place in August of 1988.