A new civil and mining technician program will launch at Collège Boréal’s Timmins campus in September 2026, helping address the growing demand for skilled workers in northern Ontario’s mining and construction sectors. College officials said more than 3,700 mining-related jobs are expected to be needed in the Timmins region by 2029. In response, Collège Boréal has officially launched its construction engineering technician – civil and mining program, a two-year diploma designed to prepare students for entry-level careers in mining, construction and surveying. Melanie Dufresne, director of Collège Boréal’s Timmins campus, said the program is being introduced at a critical time for the region. “So with the development that we’ve been seeing … in the region -- the mining development, infrastructure development -- it’s a program that we know is in need and will be a need for future years to make sure that we have a qualified workforce,” Dufresne said. The announcement was made at the college’s Timmins campus on Theriault Boulevard on Friday. Kapuskasing-Timmins-Mushkegowuk MP Gaétan Mallette said education and workforce development are essential to supporting northern Ontario’s future growth. “Education is one of my biggest priorities,” Mallette said. “No education, no future for Canada.” The program has already proven successful in Sudbury. Gilles Paradis, now superintendent of technical services at Kidd Operations, graduated from the same program at Boréal’s Sudbury campus. Paradis said the diploma helped launch his career through a co-op placement at Kidd Mine that eventually led to a full-time position. “Over the last eight years, I’ve been fortunate enough to move up in our engineering department,” he said. “Now I’m superintendent of technical services.” Paradis added that Timmins is an ideal location for the program because of continued growth in the mining sector. “If you talk to every employer around town, they’re all looking for technical people for surveying and design work,” he said. “That’s exactly what you get out of this program directly.” Steve Black, a Timmins city councillor who also works for Dumas Contracting, said labour shortages remain one of the industry’s biggest concerns. “There’s a multi-thousand-person gap in skilled trades and underground mine workers,” Black said. “We’ve known this has been coming for a number of years now, and we’re on the cusp of it now.” The program will be offered in French and will include training to ensure graduates are prepared to work in both French- and English-speaking workplaces.
