A company that bottles groundwater just south of Guelph has announced plans to close its Aberfoyle facility and put the building up for sale.

In a statement to CTV News, the company said: “We have initiated a public sale process for our Guelph facility and will be winding down our Ontario operations by the end of January. »

The news of the sale of the establishment comes after Blue Triton has announced a merger with Primo Water.

Both companies are based in the United States

Blue Triton said: “This was a difficult decision, unrelated to our merger with Primo. We will continue to serve our customers during this transition period and will continue to operate in Canada at our plant in Hope, British Columbia, which will serve our operations in the Western provinces as well as a portion of our operations in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

Economic impact

Puslinch Mayor James Seeley told CTV News: “They were the third highest taxpayers in Wellington County. Around 200 jobs will be lost.”

He worries about the economic chasm such a large company could leave behind when it leaves town.

“It’s a loss to our community because they contributed greatly to our local community groups,” Seeley said. “If a new company buys (the facilities), then it’s possible that those people will still be employed. But all this is unknown at the moment.

Reaction from Wellington Water Watchers

Wellington Water Watchers (WWW), a local advocacy group formed to combat water bottling operations, believes it has won its nearly 20-year fight.

Their slogan is: “Water is for life, it is not for profit”.

“This is an important victory for water justice in Ontario,” Wellington Water Watchers Programs

“We hope this will have an impact beyond this community,” she added.

Wellington Water Watchers Executive Director Arlene Slocombe said: “This important decision by Triton to exit its operations in Ontario is an important historic decision that is a victory our community should celebrate. This is a huge victory in the battle for water justice in this province.

The group issued five calls to action, including “a just transition for current employees” and “returning well ownership to local, Indigenous-informed management.”