Grain Elevators

Pic River, Quebec & Ontario Transportation Co.Ltd. 1959 R.L.Kennedy

The Toronto harbour south of Lake Shore Blvd. along the waterfront was the location of a number of grain elevators, starting just west of Cherry Street with the huge Dominion Malting and Victory Mills elevators. When Victory Mills opened in December 1944, as Sunsoy Products, it was the largest soybean extraction and processing plant in Canada. Soy meal is animal feed and pet food products. It became Victory Mills in March 1946 and was owned by Canadian Breweries Ltd. until 1954 when it was acquired by Procter & Gamble becoming Victoria Soya Mills Ltd. until 1985 when it was acquired by Central Soya and was closed by new owners in March 1992 with operations being carried on at a Hamilton harbour location. Central Soya was acquired by CanAmera Foods which in turn were acquired by Bunge in 2002.

CanAmera Foods, Hamilton

Bunge & Company was founded in 1818 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands becoming leading grain merchants.
Bunge North America acquired CanAmera Foods October 15, 2002, this included their Edible Oils plant in West Toronto which had been acquired xxxx from Swift Canadian Co.Ltd. which began meat packing operations there in 19..
Bunge Canada was created March 29, 2004 although they continue to identify dually as CanAmera.

Bunge Canada 30 Weston Road, Toronto July 2, 2005 R.L.Kennedy

Farther west along the waterfront near Spadina, Canada Malting (1929-1987) had elevators, as did Maple Leaf Mills. Built 1928 as Toronto Elevators, a two million bushel facility that was later doubled, it became MLM in 1961, was closed in 1983 and demolished.

Toronto Elevators

The Campbell Flour Mills Co.Ltd. c.1920 City of Toronto Archives

West Toronto was the early location of elevators for flour milling, first, in 1893 under the name of Queen City Mills, later re-named Campbell Flour Mills Co.Ltd. and in later years, Maple Leaf Milling.

Note: No elevators in Toronto remain in use for original purpose.