‘This region is booming’: Labour union building multi-million dollar training centre in Walkerton, Ont.

Construction has started on Walkerton’s LIUNA training centre, designed to train workers in utility, nuclear, and construction industries. Scott Miller reports.

Work is underway on a multi-million dollar skilled trades training centre in Walkerton.

“We just started breaking ground on this project. This is going to be our Local 1059 training center, which is going to offer all kinds of training opportunities to not only for our members, but new young workers in the area that are trying to get into this industry,” explained Mike Rock, safety training instructor with LIUNA Local 1059.

The Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 1059 represents 6,000 construction, industrial, and service sector workers in southwestern Ontario. They build and install everything from roads, sewers, and water mains, while working in industries like utilities, nuclear, and construction.

“Traditionally, our members would have to travel to London to do a lot of the training for apprenticeship and trade school. We’re hoping in the next 12 to 14 months we’re going to start to do that here in this region. So that way they don’t have to travel back and forth. So, it services the region, and our members in the community as well,” said Rock.

Why was Walkerton chosen for the training centre?

It’s in the middle of what’s expected to be a booming decade for midwestern Ontario, with nearly 10 years of nuclear refurbishment at Bruce Power still to come, the strong possibility of the construction of four to five more nuclear reactors at Bruce Power, and a proposed pumped energy storage facility in Meaford.

“This region is going to be building and building as time goes on. We talked about the Meaford pumped storage facility, and Bruce C, so we have to be able to service that industry. Those contractors will be looking for skilled labor, and we want to provide that in this area,” said Rock.

“With all the projects in the energy sector with the pumped storage and Bruce C, and the MCR (major component replacement at Bruce Power), this region is booming. Bruce County’s booming, and it’s a perfect spot for it here in Walkerton, that centralized location,” said Municipality of Brockton Mayor Chris Peabody.

Rock says this kind of facility, which will provide hands on training for thousands of workers each year, would likely be required just to replace the approximately 10 per cent of local skilled trades people retiring this year, and not including the future prospects for Grey, Bruce, and Huron counties.

“Last year we did 63 apprenticeships that we sent out to different companies in this region. That’s going to probably double next year. We’re just trying to keep up with the demand, with succession planning on retirees and also, planning toward the future,” said Rock.

“As a former co-op high school teacher, it’s full circle for me. Promoted the trades in my career in high school, and now to be able to welcome this training centre here to Walkerton, and for young people to learn a skilled trade, it’s just fantastic,” said Peabody.

LIUNA Local 1059’s new Walkerton training centre is expected to open around this time next year.

$6.3 million of the $12.7 million price tag to build the training centre was paid for by the Ontario Skills Development Fund.