Twenty-seven years after it first came to Canada, the Mennonite Central Committee mobile meat canner won’t be crossing the border anymore. In its place will be a new stationary cannery, located in New Hamburg, Ont.

“It was getting harder and harder to get it into Canada due to strict border regulations,” said Jon Lebold, material resources coordinator for MCC Ontario.

Among the challenges getting it into Canada were getting visas for its staff. Many people working with the mobile canner came from other countries. There were also numerous challenges to meet unique Canadian Food Inspection Agency standards.

And since it is the only mobile meat canner in North America, it could be hard for Canadian border agents to understand what it did and what it was for when it showed up.

“Despite pre-approvals, it often raised a lot of questions,” Lebold said. “I was always nervous if it would get across.”

The pandemic magnified the challenges. For three years, the mobile canner was unable to cross the border. During that time, staff at MCC in Canada wondered if that was the best way for Canadians to participate in providing that important resource.

They decided it wasn’t. “It wasn’t a sustainable model,” Lebold said of the mobile canner coming to Canada. “So many things had to line up perfectly.”

In its place, the organization is building a cannery located at the MCC Ontario material aid warehouse in New Hamburg. Construction of the new 10,000-square-foot facility, including an industrial cooler, is expected to start this spring.

Meat will be purchased locally from a federally approved processor, starting with chicken and turkey.

Lebold hopes the new cannery can double the over 40,000 pounds of meat canned annually during the mobile canner’s two-week visit to two locations in southwestern Ontario, in Leamington and Elmira.

This will be possible because the new cannery can be operated year-round.

“We hope to operate the new pressure cookers three days each month,” he said, noting this will also remove the uncertainty caused by potential future border closures or issues.

“We will be in a better position to respond to urgent partner requests for meat,” he said.

The new cannery will also enable MCC to can vegetables.

While most of the volunteers will come from Ontario, provisions will be made to house out-of-province volunteers in a nearby Bible camp. Already, a group of Hutterites from Manitoba is hoping to come this year.

“We’re excited for the potential here,” Lebold said of the new cannery. “We’ve got the space, we’ve got the logistical efficiencies for shipping, and when we can scale the canning operation, the impact will be huge.”

Cost of the new cannery is expected to be $614,868 U.S., including funds for the first year’s operating costs.

“It’s been amazing to see the response,” said Sheryl Bruggeling, who directs communications and plans events for MCC Ontario, of the fundraising effort. To date, 60% of the funds needed have come in.

“Donors understand how important the cannery is to MCC, and how much it means to recipients who are fleeing conflict or have experienced a disaster.”