The Ontario government is set to provide funding for the expansion of four family-owned bakeries in the greater Toronto area through the Project Advantage and Rural Economic Development (RED) program.
As part of the program, Bockerhaus Veit, Tradition Fine Foods, Sunny Crunch Foods and Stonemill Bakehouse will receive funds to expand their operations, creating 100 new jobs.
The companies will install bakery equipment and web-based information management systems, conduct in-depth market research to identify export markets, pool resources to help reduce costs and boost competitiveness.
The bakeries have already employed 51 staff, with 50 more expected as combined production capacity increases.
Since 2003, the government has invested over C$167m ($161.2m) through the RED program, helping create more than 35,000 jobs.
Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said: "This project is an excellent example of how we are working together with our industry partners to help create jobs and strengthen Ontario's economy."
Minister of Rural Affairs Jeff Leal said: "Through the RED program, Ontario's renowned food processing companies will be better positioned to expand their operations, modernize their production lines and export internationally."
Tradition Fine Foods president Thomas Glowczewski said: "By investing in new process capabilities and improving our technical knowledge, we have built a foundation for sustained growth."