STC150: J.H. Wethey Mince Meat manufacturer/ Dominion Canners

In most homes in 1876, Fall would usually be the time when farmers and householders would be canning and preserving their harvests for distribution to the wider market.

One early example of this is the J.H. Wethey Manufacturing Company. Established in 1883, Whethey began operating out of a small facility at #12-14 Mary Street (now Garden Park). The company began by canning mincemeat and later jams and jellies, including marmalades and pie fillings.

In 1904-1905, the company moved to 8 Queenston St (site of Queeensway Hotel) and then to John Street. The company employed up to 25 full-time staff as well as between 100-200 seasonal workers and distributed Canada-wide.

In 1914, the company was sold to Dominion Canners and the name was changed to Dominion Foods Ltd. That same year, the plant moved to a new plant on Brigger Street. By that time, it employed forty full-time staff, and up to five hundred during canning season.

In 1972, after several years of declining business, the plant closed. By 1975, the factory building was turned into residential housing.

This photo shows the Wethey factory as it appeared in 1941 (S1941.15.10.1)