Page 3 - CambridgeLookingBackNeat

“Today’s milestone speaks to how far Toyota’s manufacturing operations
in Canada have come over the past three decades,” said TMMC President
Frank Voss in a press release at the time. “In 1988, the year we opened
our first plant in Cambridge, our team members built 153 Toyota Corollas
and it took over 11 years to produce our first 11 million vehicles. Today,
we’re Canada’s largest automaker and leading maker of electrified
vehicles, building half a million Toyota and Lexus vehicles for the North
American market every year. Our world-class team members have been
trusted to build some of the most popular vehicles in North America and
that’s something we’re very proud of.” st
Toyota Timeline 1 COROLLA

1985 1988 2011 2023

Toyota Motor Corporation announces in On Nov. 30 the first Toyota and Tesla Motors, Inc. Toyota Motor Manufacturing
December plans to build a $400 million Cambridge-made Corolla, (Tesla) announce their jointly Canada recognized as
manufacturing plant in Cambridge and nautical blue and four doors, developed RAV4 electric one of Canada’s ‘greenest
the Japanese automaker acquires 337- rolls off the line at 9:50 a.m. vehicle will be built at Toyota employers’, as well as one of
acre site to build an assembly, stamping The car remains on display at Motor Manufacturing Canada Canada’s most family-friendly
and painting operation. (A year before, the plant. Inc. in Woodstock beginning employers, and one of the
Cambridge had been rumored to be on in 2012. top employers for Canadians
the shortlist for a Honda Motor Company over 40. Also, the company
assembly plant. Alliston is later chosen as is named as one of Waterloo
the site for the $100 million plant). Region’s top employers.

Drayton theatre in the spotlight

Plans for a Drayton Entertainment theatre’s inaugural season). Since 2013, the theatre has become a
theatre in Cambridge first entered major attraction and economic boost for Cambridge, something
the spotlight in the summer of Cambridge Chamber Commerce President & CEO Greg Durocher
2006, when Drayton’s CEO & Artistic noted when Drayton Entertainment announced it was officially
Director Alex Mustakas approached making it the home of its administration office.
city council about establishing a “Many Cambridge restaurants can tell you when Dunfield Theatre
venue in Cambridge. “Our board and first opened because of the increase in business,” he told the
administration, the council, chamber of commerce and people Cambridge Times.
in the private sector are all of the same mind. Everyone wants to
see it happen,” he said, according to the Cambridge Times.
The proposal was met with overwhelming support and in 2009
council passed a resolution endorsing the construction of a
500-seat performing arts venue in Galt, with formal plans for
the theatre being unveiled in February of 2011.

The Dunfield Theatre (a brand extension of the Dunfield
Retirement Residence) opened in spring of 2013 with a
production of Mary Poppins. However, city council approved a
name change to the Hamilton Family Theatre in 2018 following a
major donation in 2017 of $500,000 from John and Terry Hamilton
(the family had already donated $500,000 in 2013 during the

www.cambridgechamber.com Summer 2023 3