Is Leamington still Canada's 'tomato capital' with Chatham-Kent producing more? - CBC

The Big Tomato is a landmark in uptown Leamington, Ont. (Mike Evans/CBC)Social SharingWindsor Morning8:31Leamington is dubbed the tomato capital of Canada, but does it still deserve that title? As we're in the middle of October, the tomato harvest is winding down across southwestern Ontario.

Leamington has long dubbed itself the "Tomato Capital of Canada."

But did you know that neighbouring Chatham-Kent actually produces the most outdoor-grown tomatoes, anywhere in the country?

A handful of companies in Essex County and Chatham-Kent process them, while the vast majority of Ontario's output is from area fields, according to agricultural specialist Kim Cooper in the region.

A southwestern Ontario tomato farmer makes their way across a field in this file photo. (CBC)

He says the tomato pendulum swung east of Leamington over the past 12 years or so. 

"The grower base has shrunk, and a lot of that was because when Leamington closed up their Heinz plant in 2014, that really threw the tomato sector into a spin," Cooper said. 

Vehicles drive past the former Heinz plant in Leamington, Ont., in 2014. (Geoff Robins/The Canadian Press)

"It affected 50 growers back then … so some of those growers kind of packed it in and some of those growers were absorbed by other companies. Then, Highbury Canco came into the picture in Leamington. So they got a lot of those acreages back. That's why Leamington was always referred to as the 'Tomato Capital of Canada' — just basically because of Heinz."

Cooper says the climate in southwestern Ontario makes it the perfect place to grow outdoor tomatoes. 

"People don't realize if you look at a map of North America, southern Ontario … Windsor-Essex, Chatham-Kent is the same latitude as northern California. Heat units is the key … and the soil."

Tomatoes grown in southwestern Ontario are shown in a large pile after being shipped to a processing facility in this file photo. (CBC)

According to Cooper, he’s not debunking Leamington as Canada’s tomato capital. Instead, he says, he's stating the fact that Chatham-Kent grows more now than in Essex County.

"Not because we [Chatham-Kent] tried to, but I think it was really because of the Heinz situation."

Agricultural economist Philip Shaw says tomatoes are one of the most important crops grown in Chatham-Kent and Essex County.

But historically, he adds, it hasn’t proven to be overly lucrative. 

"I wouldn't call it a cash cow because tomato production is incredibly and capital intensive," said Shaw, who’s based out of Dresden in Chatham-Kent and primarily farms corn, wheat and soybeans himself. 

"In other words, it takes an awful lot of money to grow tomatoes and to be able to farm tomatoes in terms of land and equipment and dedication."

A worker tends to tomatoes being processed at the Highbury Canco processing plant in Leamington in this file photo. (Dale Molnar/CBC)

Whether the tomatoes are processed into things such as juice, soups, paste or cocktail mixes, a lot goes into growing them.

"You could put all the tomato farmers in a school bus and drive down the road because over a period of time the industry has changed and there's less producers. It takes an awful lot of money and an awful lot of risk to get into tomato production."

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Shaw referred to farming tomatoes as "more of a closed shop" to those who’ve been in the business for many years with existing relationships with processors.

"Then there's negotiations between Ontario vegetable growers and these processors, and the processors also constantly change over a period of time. But also you just can't grow tomatoes every year."

A tomato harvesting machine picks and deposits tomatoes into a trailer being pulled by a tractor in southwestern Ontario. (Brent Hodge)

Trucking is another huge cost, says Shaw, which limits the geography of where they’re grown and processed. 

"It's just not an economic panacea. There's a whole bunch of moving parts that have to fit together to have profitable tomato production in southwestern Ontario."

Just because Chatham-Kent produces more outdoor-grown tomatoes, doesn’t mean Leamington can’t continue to stake claim as the "Tomato Capital of Canada" — a slogan more than anything else — based on its history with the red fruit-vegetable.

But let’s just say it did lose the moniker. What else should the southwestern Ontario coastal municipality along Lake Erie be known for?

Leamington’s Cherise Charron was quick to respond when asked.

"I think it is the greenhouse capital for sure," she said. "I was looking at a map on Google, and you can see at night how lit up it is from all of the greenhouses we do have."

Greenhouse lights from the area of Leamington and Kingsville, Ont., are seen in a photo taken from the International Space Station on March 13, 2026. (NASA/International Space Station)

Nick Klym, also from Leamington, agreed with Charron.

"The greenhouse capital of Canada," he echoed.

Others told CBC News the municipality’s “beautiful waterfront” should be in the running.

Whereas Dave Brown from Leamington focused his attention elsewhere.

“It's the [retirement] capital of Canada, which serves diversity in labour and retirement … because of our climate. I've lived here all my life. It's a great place to live. I've seen a lot of people retiring here now and … from Toronto and bigger cities.”

The two people running for mayor in Leamington have also weighed in on what Leamington should be known — aside from tomatoes.

Incumbent Hilda MacDonald, who’s seeking a third term in the chair, says it would "100 per cent" be her community’s waterfront.

"With the with the amphitheater and now the stage, it's a wonderful place," she told CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning on Friday. 

Hilda MacDonald, left, and Cris Biron are running for mayor in Leamington in 2026. (Peter Duck/CBC)

"It's not just for tourism, it's for our residents as well. And to me that's [the] quality of life that makes people come, work, play and stay … I'm very proud of that," MacDonald added.

Cris Biron is challenging MacDonald for a second straight election.

“Thanks to Ms. MacDonald, we have a beautiful waterfront – it’s fantastic,” he told CBC Radio’s Windsor Morning on Friday. "[But] what we did was to paint the vehicle before the fixing the engine. I mean we should have taken care of the downtown first … solidify our tourism … that is not really happening right now."

Bob Becken is with CBC's digital team. Previously, he was an executive producer with CBC Windsor, and held broadcast and digital news director duties with Bell Media and Blackburn Media. You can reach him at bob.becken@cbc.ca.