When the flour mill in Port Colborne began operation the idea of a world war was confusing at best, space travel was considered nothing more than pure fantasy, and people were eagerly awaiting the launch of the unsinkable Titanic.
“People think, well, how long is 100 years?” Bob Dussault, commercial manager for ADM Milling, said.
On Oct. 12, 1911, flour milling began at what was then the Maple Leaf Milling Company. The next spring, the Titanic had its fateful maiden voyage, and a few years later the first of two world wars broke out. Through that time, the mill kept churning out flour.
In fact, the mill has been in operation nearly non-stop since 1911. The only time it was shut down for any considerable time period was after the October 1960 explosion and fire. One person died, and six were injured in the explosion, which destroyed nearly everything at the mill except for the grain silos.
Over the next two years the mill was rebuilt and resumed operations in 1962. It continued operation as a Maple Leaf mill until 1997, when ADM purchased the mill. The Kansas City-based business owns mills throughout Canada, including in Midland, Montreal, and Calgary. It currently processes 650 tonnes of flour per day, and mostly provides commercial and industrial wheat for customers in the Greater Toronto Area. It operates five to six days a week.
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