Lack of infrastructure hindering growth in S. Ontario's CEA

The hallway cuts through a 90-acre greenhouse that contains hundreds of rows of grape tomatoes.

Eventually, the bins arrive at a sorting station where the contents are poured onto a long conveyer belt. The tiny tomatoes – red, yellow and green – are scanned by cameras that detect imperfections. Those that pass the test enter a complex assembly line where they are packaged, labelled, stacked, wrapped and shipped to supermarkets across the United States, Canada and Japan. The tomatoes go from the vine to the delivery truck within hours, often only touched by a human hand when first plucked.

This is Heritage Farms, a greenhouse in Leamington, Ont., an agricultural town about 45 minutes outside Windsor. Leamington is part of Essex County, the centre of North America’s largest concentration of greenhouses: 135 businesses spanning 1,300 hectares. At least that’s the size right now. The hub is on the cusp of expanding a further 50 per cent in the next decade.

However, one key constraint is limiting growth: infrastructure.

Greenhouses need water for complex drip irrigation systems, and Essex County’s water supply is at capacity. They also need natural gas for heating and electricity for supplemental lighting during the winter – two areas with skyrocketing costs. After seven years of growth, Ontario greenhouse hectares dedicated to peppers, cucumbers and tomatoes have seen a net-zero gain in the past 18 months.

Some companies say they are now eyeing expansion to the U.S., where states are courting them with investments in infrastructure and handing out perks such as tax subsidies and cheaper electricity.

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Image by wayhomestudio on Freepik

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