Province provides $1M to expand underground mining training centre in Sudbury

The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. has announced millions of dollars for a mining project in Sudbury and to upgrade the pool in Elliot Lake.

The Ontario government is providing more than $1 million to expand the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology underground mining centre.

The money will fund a news facility at NORCAT’s Underground Centre in Sudbury to provide companies with a place to design, test and repair technologies that will help develop solutions for the global mining industry.

The Underground Centre is an underground operating mine that provides innovative technology development, testing and demonstration services, as well as experiential and hands-on training services.

“We’re investing to make Ontario’s mining sector – as well as the companies and people that support and service this strategically important industry – more competitive, innovative and current,” George Pirie, Minister of Northern Economic Development and Growth, said in a news release Tuesday.

“Through targeted investments, our government is building a more resilient, prosperous and self-reliant economy that will create jobs and help build communities and businesses across the province.”

New facility underground

NORCAT is receiving $1,080,000 through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp. to build a new facility with a service shop and training rooms, and to purchase new equipment and tools to expand its Underground Centre.

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The space will provide companies a place to design, test and repair new technologies that help build and support mines across the province.

“With this investment, we’re building a new 6,000-square-foot facility that will expand the capacity at the NORCAT Underground Centre to better serve innovative technology companies developing solutions for the global mining industry,” NORCAT CEO Don Duval said in the release.

“Featuring 3,500 square feet of state-of-the-art shop space, along with modern offices and meeting rooms, this expanded capacity underscores our commitment to accelerating the development, adoption and broader diffusion of emerging technologies that will shape the future of mining.”

Money for the Elliot Lake pool

Also on Tuesday, the NOHFC announced more than $1.5 million for Elliot Lake to upgrade the Ruben Yli-Juuti Centre municipal pool.

The project includes updates to the electrical, mechanical and piping systems, installation of new concrete decking and tiles, and refurbishment of the ceiling structure.

“The upgrades provide a safe and accessible facility for residents and visitors and enable the community to increase its pool programming and further host competitions and other events,” the province said in a news release.

Since June 2018, the NOHFC has provided more than $905 million for 7,309 projects in northern Ontario, leveraging more than $2.8 billion in investment and creating or sustaining more than 11,210 jobs.