Description of Historic Place

The Cannery Trade Centre is a large industrial complex located on Fairview Road in Penticton, British Columbia. Now converted to commercial uses, it is comprised of four conjoined buildings: a wood-frame warehouse at the westerly end built in either 1936 or 1942, a large concrete processing plant at the easterly end built in 1948, a connecting concrete-block storage building built later in 1948, and a rear concrete block warehouse built in 1968.

Heritage Value

The value of the Cannery Trade Centre (formerly the Aylmer Cannery) lies in the primary role it played in the economic life of Penticton from 1948 to 1982. It was an important seasonal employer and a vital source of income for local vegetable and fruit growers. It is particularly significant because, as an employer of a large number of men and women, it reflects labour practices and social conditions over several decades. The tall chimney, now lost, identified the Aylmer brand the plant was known for, and provided the power for the daily whistle, which defined the beginning and end of the work day, heard throughout Penticton. The complex was also associated with the Delmonte and Royal City brands.

The complex is also important because it expresses the evolution of industrial design through the physical development and construction materials evident in the four construction phases of the complex. These construction phases also reflect the evolution of the canning industry in Canada, and in particular the evolution of industrial buildings in response to economic changes.The growth and decline of local agriculture and the canning industry itself are reflected in the changing form and use of the building over time. As a significant former employer of women, the complex also symbolizes the history of women in industry.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Cannery Trade Centre include:

- the four construction phases reflecting the evolution of the complex and its changing uses over time
- the location adjacent to and serviced by the railway
- the loading bays designed to accommodate boxcar shipments
- the truck loading docks to the northeast
- the high windows to admit natural light to the production plant
- the central gutter in the production building
- stamped metal sheets on the floors
- original canning equipment
- proximity to Kettle Valley Railway/Canadian Pacific Railway facilities, including the roundhouse