FedEx breaks ground on distribution centre in Vaughan
Yorkregion.com
May 6, 2015
By Kim Champion
Construction work is under way on the site of a controversial FedEx Ground distribution centre in west Woodbridge, slated to open in August 2016.
“This is a really big deal for us. This is going to be the centrepiece of our Canadian region,” said Steve Myers, vice-president regional operations Canada for FedEx, during a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday for the 400,000-square-foot facility, located on the west side of Hwy. 27 near Martin Grove Rd.
“It’s going to replace a facility that we now operate in Mississauga and it’s going to give us about four times the capacity of what we have in that location. So this will really kind of cement our commitment to the Canada market,” he added.
Once completed, the distribution centre will be the largest FedEx Ground small-package delivery facility and its first automated facility in Canada.
The hub is projected to employ more than 300 people and will process 15,000 packages an hour.
Those packages will be bound for local customers as well as customers across the country and the United States, Myers said.
When news broke FedEx was seeking to build a distribution centre west of Hwy. 27, outraged area residents from subdivisions on the east side flooded city hall to voice concerns about excessive noise, increased traffic on already congested Hwy. 27 and trucks barreling through residential neighbourhoods, among other things.
The developer and the company’s representatives negotiated with the West Woodbridge Homeowners Association to implement measures to address some of the residents’ concerns, which ultimately led to the project being approved by council rather than heading to the Ontario Municipal Board.
The project is also the subject of a lawsuit between the developer and two regional councillors who voted against allowing it to go ahead when the matter came before council.
But Myers vowed that FedEx will be a good corporate citizen.
As evidence of that, he presented a cheque for $10,000 to Anna Lopes from Million Dollar Smiles, a non-profit organization that aims to brighten the lives of kids battling life-threatening illness by doing such things as building playgrounds in their backyards.
“I think you will find that this is just the beginning of how we will participate in the community and get involved in not just financial contributions but, I think, most importantly, donating our time,” Myers said. “Our employees are known, throughout the world, for donating their time to local organizations.”
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, a strong proponent of the project from the outset, called it a “truly wonderful day.”
