Published: October 18, 2019

The Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF-FCA) announced recently that a task force of its members from across the country will oversee the development of a National Strategy for Women in Trades based on extensive consultations with stakeholders over the last two years.

In 2018, CAF-FCA hosted the first-ever national conference dedicated to female participation in the skilled trades. In 2019, the second Supporting Women in Trades was held in Vancouver. In total, more than 600 delegates gathered at the events to share ideas and engage in a conversation on how to remove the barriers women encounter pursuing careers in which they are traditionally under-represented. A Road Map to Supporting Women in Trades was developed in 2018 from results of the inaugural event and the subsequent 2019 conference culminated in a CAF-FCA commitment to lead the development of a national strategy.

“Our country is going to need thousands of new trades professionals in the next five years, and the creation of a National Strategy to help attract more women to the trades will be critical to meeting labour market and economic needs,” said Shelley Gray, CEO of B.C’s Industry Training Authority and task force participant. “To do this, it’s important to develop workplaces that are welcoming, positive, and inclusive of everyone interested in pursuing an apprenticeship.”

The task force, comprised of apprentices, tradeswomen, representatives from women’s organizations, labour groups, employers, educators and jurisdictional apprenticeship authorities will inform specific strategy content and establish a national target to increase participation and retention of females in skilled trades careers.

“We already know what the barriers are. Insights from this task force, along with twenty years of CAF-FCA national research in the area will provide a clear direction on how to create sustainable change.” said France Daviault, Executive Director of CAF-FCA. “The entire skilled trades community needs to work together and set targets for increasing female participation – what gets measured gets done”, she continued.

The task force’s first meeting was on September 9.

The National Strategy for Women in Trades will be presented at the National Apprenticeship Conference in Calgary, AB on May 24–26, 2020.

Published: October 18, 2019

The Ontario government announced more than $5 million in funding for road reconstruction in Northern Ontario on October 17.

Of that sum, $3.9 million will be used in Kenora to fully reconstruct 1.7 kilometres of road on Railway Street and 10th Avenue South, and to fix potholes, replace sidewalks, and add on-road cycling lanes and new street lighting. A further $1.4 million will be directed to replace the asphalt surface and curbs, and repair sidewalks along Van Horne Avenue in Dryden.

Premier Doug Ford and Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines and Indigenous Affairs, made the announcement at Bowman Electric in Kenora.

"I know many Northerners are fed up about the delays in road repairs in the region," said Ford. "Fixing these roads is a matter of safety for Northern drivers, especially when it comes to winter driving."

"Keeping people and goods moving in Kenora-Rainy River and across Northern Ontario is a priority for this government," said Rickford. "Funding critical road reconstruction in Kenora and Dryden improves our local infrastructure and supports our plan to develop our economy in Northwestern Ontario."

The combined investments from the provincial and local governments in Kenora means approximately $8.7 million will be spent on road reconstruction in that city. Dryden will receive $3.1 million worth of combined funding for its projects.

Over the past two years, the province has approved approximately $5 million in funding for road infrastructure projects on designated connecting links in Dryden, Fort Frances and Rainy River. Connecting links are major municipal roads that connect two ends of a highway through a community or to a border.

Over the next 10 years, the government plans to invest as much as $144 billion in local infrastructure projects across the province, including in schools, hospitals, transit, roads and highways. As part of this investment, the province aims to support municipalities in building or repairing critical infrastructure through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP). The program includes approximately $250 million in federal funding over 10 years through the Rural and Northern stream to strengthen communities.

Ontario has already nominated 144 road, bridge, air and marine projects under the ICIP’s Rural and Northern stream. Fifty-four of these projects have received federal approval. The province is further nominating 46 public transit projects in Northern Ontario to the federal government for funding under the ICIP, and will commit $54.4 million to these projects.

Published: October 17, 2019

Construction of the country’s largest single-phase wind facility and the largest on-reserve wind installation is officially complete.

Officials from the Pattern Energy Group LP and Nigig Power Corporation announced completion of the 300-megawatt (MW) Henvey Inlet Wind power facility in Pickerel, Ontario on the northeast shore of the Georgian Bay on October 15. Pattern Development and Nigig Power Corporation are joint-venture partners in the facility.

"This landmark project is a first on many fronts: largest single-phase wind facility in Canada, largest on-reserve wind installation in the country, and the first to develop a First Nation Environmental Stewardship Regime under the First Nations Lands Management Act," said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Development. "It's an honour to partner with Henvey Inlet First Nation on this historic project that created hundreds of local jobs and is now providing a strong new source of revenue for the First Nation.

Henvey Inlet Wind uses 87 Vestas 3.45 MW turbines with a 136-meter rotor diameter and 132-metre hub height. A 104-kilometer transmission line delivers electricity generated by the facility to the Ontario electricity grid. Henvey Inlet Wind has a 20-year Power Purchase Agreement with the Independent Electricity System Operator for 100 percent of its production. The facility will create clean, home-grown energy for 100,000 homes each year.

At the peak of construction, there were approximately 1,000 workers on site. Nearly one-third of the construction workers were First Nations citizens. Now operational, Henvey Inlet Wind employs up to 20 permanent full-time staff and is expected to create demand for more than 100 ongoing indirect workers, including maintenance contractors. 

The construction process generated approximately $25 million in direct economic activity for local First Nations businesses. The facility is expected to generate more than $10 million in income annually for Henvey Inlet First Nation.  

"Now that construction is complete, we can begin to look forward to economic independence as a community," said Greg Newton, CEO of Nigig Power Corporation. "Our youth will see an even brighter future from expanding health and education services along with increased infrastructure."

"The wind farm's completion marks a historic moment for Henvey Inlet First Nation," added Chief Wayne McQuabbie of Henvey Inlet First Nation. "New infrastructure is under way in the First Nation as a result of this new facility and we see better days ahead. We've already increased our administrative staff and employees in the community and we look forward to ensuring a positive future for our upcoming generations, including economic spin offs and job security. As Anishinabek, we are proud to contribute to a green economy and are proactively moving forward in a time of climate change."

Henvey Inlet Wind has made separate commitments to four key regions along the project's 104 km transmission line through the establishment of a Community Benefits Program that will contribute $1 million to the following four municipalities over the first 20 years of facility operations: The Municipality of McDougall, Township of Seguin, Township of Carling, and Township of the Archipelago.

The Community Benefits Program enables municipalities to fund projects that benefit residents, including: advancing community initiatives; enhancing ecological preservation, restoration or education; fostering individual and community health and wellness; and promoting the needs of youth development through education or recreation.