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Series

Around the cannery

7 articles

  1. The Tomato: Its HistoryMay 31, 2015 · written by Jocelyne Lafond · 4 min readFrom Peru to Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets: four centuries of mistrust of the tomato, held poisonous by John Gerard and merely ornamental by Olivier de Serres, before it reached Canada in the 1850s.
  2. Jean-Baptiste LelaidierMay 31, 2015 · written by Jocelyne Lafond · 4 min readBorn at Créances in Normandy in 1818, he came to Canada in 1848 and settled at Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets, married Liliose Baril in 1852, grew melons and then tomatoes, and died in 1903 after seeing the tomato cannery built.
  3. The Tomaterie (Tomato Cannery)June 1, 2015 · written by Jocelyne Lafond · 2 min readA cannery founded in 1899 by eight parish notables on a leased lot on the route Lelaidier; the plant changed hands again and again until 1956, when Gérard Demers Inc. turned it into a warehouse.
  4. Baskets for the TomatoesJuly 14, 2015 · written by Alain Manset · 1 min readTons of tomatoes brought to market in the region each year meant containers were needed: a filmed segment on the factory making the baskets used to carry and sell them.
  5. Repairs to the buildings; heating the autoclavesOctober 27, 2015 · written by Alain Manset · 1 min readSawmill waste wood, readily available in the region, fed the autoclaves, the steam for scalding the tomatoes and the backup steam engine; the old buildings needed major structural repairs.
  6. A Tomato Worker, Cécile Spénard-PoissonMay 26, 2015 · written by Jocelyne Lafond · 3 min readCécile Spénard-Poisson, aged 92, recalls in January 2013 her work as a peeler at the Saint-Pierre tomato cannery: pay by the pail, the autoclaves, and days from seven in the morning to six at night.
  7. Secretary of the Tomato CanneryJuly 16, 2015 · written by Alain Manset · 1 min readFilmed interview with Cécile Poisson, later Mrs. Tousignant, describing her work as secretary at the tomato cannery in Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets, the “tomaterie”.