Ontario Welcomes $107 Million Manufacturing Investment at Heddle Shipyards in St. Catharines
St. Catharines – The Ontario government is welcoming an investment of over $107 million by Heddle Shipyards, the largest ship repair and construction company on the Great Lakes. This investment will be used to tackle complex Vessel Life Extension projects at the company’s Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines and create thirty new, good-paying jobs for Niagara.
“The Port Weller Dry Docks have a long and rich history of building and repairing ships in St. Catharines,” said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
“This investment by Heddle Shipyards, with support from the province, will grow local manufacturing and create more good-paying jobs for workers and families in Niagara.”
“This significant investment by Heddle Shipyards in St. Catharines for their Vessel Life Extension projects, and their continued investments in facilities across the province, demonstrates that by lowering costs and increasing competitiveness, we are helping local champions like Heddle grow and making Ontario a top place for businesses to thrive,” said Hon. Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.
“Through our Regional Development Program, our government is proud to help Ontario manufacturers expand and create more good-paying jobs for local workers. Thank you, Heddle Shipyards, for continuing to innovate and invest in your facilities across Ontario.”
“This is great news, not just for Heddle Shipyards and the shipbuilding sector in Ontario, but for residents of St. Catharines and Niagara as well,” said Mat Siscoe, Mayor of the City of St. Catharines.
“Shipbuilding and ship repair is synonymous with St. Catharines’ rich marine heritage and this announcement, along with the new provincial marine strategy, ensure that the sector will continue to thrive.”
Vessel Life Extension programs are designed to significantly extend the life of marine vessels. With their $107 million investment, Heddle Shipyards will implement the processes, engineering, training and equipment needed for Vessel Life Extension projects, including on-the-job training for skilled trades and support staff, automated manufacturing technologies and the use of 3D scanning for manufacturing projects.
As part of this investment, the government is providing Heddle Shipyards with over $3.4 million through the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness Stream of the Regional Development Program.
“We are extremely grateful for the support that Minister Fedeli and the Government of Ontario continue to have for the shipbuilding and ship repair industry in our province,” said Ted Kirkpatrick, Director of Business Development and Government Relations at Heddle Shipyards.
“Investments through programs like the Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Competitiveness Stream will allow Ontario to once again be a frontrunner in the shipbuilding industry in Canada and support hundreds of high-paying skilled trade jobs in our communities over the coming decade.”
Ontario is investing more than $140 million through the Regional Development Program to strengthen the advanced manufacturing sector across the province and create new, good-paying jobs. The program provides funding to businesses, municipalities and economic development organizations to help local communities attract investment, diversify their economies, and create jobs.
To date, Ontario has provided over $110 million to support 100 projects through the program, leveraging over $1.1 billion in new investments and helping to create more than 2,300 jobs.