September 30, 2021
The Ault family legacy will live on for generations to come.
The Township of North Dundas, in partnership with Lactalis Canada, unveiled a beautiful new mural on Friday at the arena in Winchester, now named the Sam Ault Arena. In addition to the arena naming, the township also announced a ceremonial road naming for part of Main Street in honour of the Ault family.
North Dundas Mayor Tony Fraser says Sam Ault was a community builder, who was instrumental in bringing a new high school, park, curling club and hockey arena to Winchester.
“He was also the premier leader of the modernization of the cheese industry in Ontario,” notes Fraser, “but he was more than just a leader in his industry…he was a leader in our community.”
Fraser says Sam Ault was the type of man who never sought recognition, but was always deserving of it.
“For years to come, parents will drive along Ault Way to drop their kids off at the Sam Ault Arena to play hockey or go skating.”
Mark Taylor, President & CEO of Lactalis Canada, says when he arrived in Canada three years ago from the U.K., the Winchester plant was one of his first stops.
“I was quickly brought up to speed on the plant’s history and one of the things that really struck me was the tremendous impact Sam Ault and the Ault family had on this community.”
He explains that in 1997, Parmalat Canada, now Lactalis, acquired the Astro, Black Diamond, Balderson, Beatrice and other Ault Foods brands.
“Lactalis Canada takes great pride in building on the Ault legacy and in preserving the craftsmanship and high quality behind these beloved products,” he says.
Taylor notes that the purpose of Lactalis Canada is to enrich and nurture the lives of Canadians.
“For us, this extends to the communities we live and operate in across the county – whether it’s supporting our people, the communities we belong to, the residents, or the farming and agriculture communities in the region.
“In Winchester, our plant is made up of a 300 strong team. We place great importance on job creation in the area, investing in the development and training of our people and ensuring their health and safety so that we can help build a productive community,” he continued.
He explains the Winchester Plant is the largest cheese plant in Canada, producing some of the country’s most iconic cheese brands, and one can say that Ault Foods’ is where it all began.
Eric Duncan, MP for Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry, says the mural is a fitting tribute to a gentleman and family that has done so much for so many in the community.
“The number of families that took home a good paycheck and provided a great quality of life to a lot of people over many, many years,” he notes, “…we owe a great deal of thanks for that.”
Allan Armstrong, Warden of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry / North Dundas Deputy Mayor, says he never had the honour of meeting Sam Ault.
“But I will say that I’ve gotten to know Stephen Ault very well and members of his family,” Armstrong explains. “If nothing else is true, we become and carry on traits of our family that are passed down just by living together and the measure of Stephen Ault is second to none, so I can only assume that Sam was exactly what people purport him to be.”
He extends thanks to the entire Ault family for the dedication they have shown to the community.
“It’s not lost on me or anyone in this township that the two names tied to this arena are Joel Steele and Sam Ault and I don’t think we could’ve done any better.”
Stephen Ault, Sam’s son, reminisced about his father’s life work during the unveiling.
“In the top left, we have Jack Ault, who was 19-years-old when he opened the first cheese factory in Dundas County,” he explains. “The structure you see at the top left was the old cheese factory in Winchester. In the 1920s, it had shut down and they were selling it. Jack’s oldest son, Ralph - down at the bottom - worked in Montreal at the harbour in customs. He told his father they were importing a lot of powder and butter for the bakeries in Montreal and said that he should buy the plant and turn it into a year-round powder and butter operation, and Ralph could get him a contract with Ogilvie Flour Mills, which owned Wonder Bread.”
Stephen notes that they bought the plant and Ken and Jack Ault worked on it, building a concrete block plant over top of the original while it was still running and that’s the plant you see today. In 1940, the Ault brothers decided to sell the plant to Ogilvie for $250,000.
“It was too much to turn down,” notes Stephen. “After the war, dad came back and uncle Ken was still running the place working for Ogilvie. Dad had an idea that times were changing and that it was time to consolidate the cheese making business into one place in the 1960s. Yves Leroux, who is here today, was the first to operate that plant.”
He explains the choice was between Winchester and Brockville, which was bigger and had more access to water.
“But the municipality signed an agreement to bring in water and for years, people in Winchester got their water for free – all paid for by Ault Foods.”
Stephen says Ralph inherited a big chunk of land from his uncle Jim and he donated some of that land to build the hospital and school in Winchester. He notes the first arena company to establish a rink was formed in the 1930s by Jack Ault and that Jack’s brother, Jim, started the first fire department in Winchester.
After the unveiling, members of the Ault family in attendance gathered under the mural, which was created by local artist Carrie Keller. Sheldon Shane, of Shane Signs, took Carrie’s painting and turned it into what the community sees today.