Canada Post unveils its innovative new parcel facility named after civil rights hero Albert Jackson

May 12, 2022
2 minute read

Canada Post today unveiled its new leading-edge zero-carbon parcel sorting facility at an event in northeast Toronto.

With the capacity to process more than one million packages per day, the Albert Jackson Processing Centre will be a key hub for the company’s national network and improve service for Canadians when it opens in early 2023.

While the plant will help transform the company for the future, its name pays respect to the past.

Believed to be the first Black letter carrier in Canada, Albert Jackson faced significant racial barriers in his workplace. He was initially barred from working as a letter carrier, before winning the right to do the job he was hired for.

Members of the Jackson family attended the inauguration event in front of the new building, located in northern Scarborough.

Tour of the Albert Jackson Processing Centre

Check out our video tour of the facility:

The $470 million state-of-the-art facility will help Canada Post meet the rapidly changing needs of Canadians and businesses across the country – and handle the continued growth in online shopping for years to come.

Facts at-a-glance:

  • The building is 585,000 square feet – roughly the size of six CFL football fields.
  • It will be able to sort more than 60,000 packages per hour – 50 per cent more than Canada Post’s Gateway facility in Mississauga, currently the company’s largest parcel plant.
  • The facility will be able to process more than one million packages a day at full capacity.
  • It will be Canada Post’s first zero-carbon building and the largest industrial project in Canada with the Zero Carbon Building Standard designation.
  • The facility is an important part of Canada Post’s plan to increase parcel capacity by more than 50 per cent across its network over the next seven years, to manage demand beyond 2030.
  • The facility is under construction and is expected to be operational in early 2023.

 

The story of Albert Jackson

Watch the video to learn about Albert Jackson’s story:

The naming of the Albert Jackson Processing Centre is intended to honour, share and preserve Jackson’s legacy, and serve as a reminder of the importance of equality and respect in the workplace.

Canada Post previously paid tribute to Jackson in 2019, when he was commemorated on a stamp. You can discover more about Jackson and view the stamp by visiting the article that was released at that time.