Stuff Made & Built in Eastern Ontario 2023-2024

WHAT’s made here

WHO makes it

WHAT jobs are available

MADE AND BUILT IN EASTERN ONTARIO 2023/2024

WHAT'S

NEXT?

From EV batteries to year-round greens, companies are innovating for sustainability.

Meanwhile, STUFF is expanding its career focus to other professions.

HOW IT WORKS: Application – Kickstart the process by submitting your application. We’re ready to guide you through the rest.

Enroll a Learner – Select a current employee or new hire and embark on a journey of growth and skill-building.

Offering employers wage subsidies of 50% of a participant’s wages to a maximum of $5,000 for a training period of up to 20 weeks.

Complete the Program Requirement – Fulfill the program’s requirements and get your wage subsidy.

Canada currently faces a critical shortage of skilled workers and is in need of Industrial Millwright Mechanics, Industrial Electricians and General Maintenance. Skilled tradespeople in the manufacturing sector are in high demand and will continue to be at an increasing rate because of the rapid pace of technological changes in our industry and as current workers begin to retire.

Ready to transform your workforce and earn wage subsidies?

A P P LY T O D AY Julie Smith | Project Coordinator Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium jsmith@emccanada.org | 519-377-0235 www.emccanada.org/wilworks

WILWorks Skilled Trades in Advanced Manufacturing is a pre-apprenticeship program for youth (15-29) to help manufacturers create a pipeline of talent to fill the growing demand in manufacturing skilled trades roles. For youth, the program will help them discover and learn introductory mechanical and electrical skills, along with hands-on training in skilled trades related to advanced manufacturing.

The program has been designed to be highly flexible for employers and participants. Training is delivered through online-self-directed modules and learners are guided through hands-on practical components by your organization’s skilled mentors.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Made right here 20

surprising things Eastern Ontario boasts

Driving it home

Electric vehicle batteries are a new focus for Eastern Ontario.

14

6 22

Agri-food's new focus

Agriculture has always been a major industry in Eastern Ontario, now its growers and producers are innovating to keep our food supply strong.

35 Quiz

Take our quiz to determine which manufacturing or construction career might suit you best.

30

ALL THE STATS

We present the region’s hot job prospects along with their salaries.

49 NEXT

Four young professionals tell you what it takes to get a job like theirs.

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 3 ]

stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

Published by Great River Media President Michael Curran Publisher Terry Tyo Editor Jennifer Campbell Editorial Brian Dryden Phil Gaudreau Neil Macmillan Advertising Wendy Baily Eric Dupuis Victoria Stewart Creative Direction/Production Celine Paquette

Great River Media, PO Box 91585 Ottawa, ON K1W 1K0 STUFF Made and Built in Eastern Ontario is published by Great River Media. This publication contains information considered accurate at the time of printing.

However, the publisher is not responsible for any errors or omissions that may occur.

Reproduction in any form is prohibited without the written permission of the publisher.

What’s next?

W

elcome to the fifth annual edition of STUFF Made and Built in Eastern Ontario where we explore career opportunities in the region by answering three simple questions; what is made and built in Eastern Ontario, who’s making it and what kinds of careers are available now and in the future?

What’s made here?

In our lead story, surprising things made here, you’ll discover that what is manufactured in our region is, in fact, pretty cool. It’s great big stuff such as prefab homes, barges and electric boats; serious stuff such as body armour and protective wear for first responders; and a diverse variety of foods and beverages. The list really is quite impressive (see page 7).

Who is making what?

All across Eastern Ontario there are thousands of dynamic companies making and building stuff, many of them operating under the radar.

In our sector profiles, we look to the future with the focus on two exciting growth areas: electric vehicle manufacturing (page 14) and new opportunities in agriculture and agri-tech (page 22). The one thing that these sectors have in common is that they depend on a local, creative, talented workforce.

How much can you make?

One of the most important functions of this publication is to answer this last question, can you make a career of it? The answer is yes. The demand for talent and the wages is rising and the opportunities are immediate. If you are a student or a jobseeker, take the time to review these careers and find out which ones are in demand (page 31) and how much you can make (page 34).

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Made and built in Eastern Ontario

THOUSANDS OF LOCAL JOBS IN MANUFACTURING

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CAN MANUFACTURING BE A CAREER FOR ME?

WHAT jobs are

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What cool stuff is being made?

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MAKING IT WORK Can manufacturi ng be a career for me?

Meet the manu factu pros who keep ring and constructio n economy humm the Eastern Ontario ing, and learn how you could becom e part of it.

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WHAT'S

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From EV batter ies to year-r companies ound green are innova s, ting for Meanwhile, STUFF is expan sustainability. focus to other ding its career professions.

What else?

While manufacturing and construction offer bright futures, if you’re on a different path, this year we’ve included some other career options in a new section called NEXT. In this feature (pages 49 to 57) we introduce you to four recent grads in other highdemand industries and explore the paths they took to find their calling.

Get hired now Looking for a job or career options right now? We invite you to go to pages 63 onward to see ads for some of the great companies that are hiring right in your backyard.

Thanks to our project partners for making STUFF possible. Enjoy the issue.

— STUFF

Have story ideas or feedback for STUFF, contact us at: Terry Tyo, 613-601-9734 or terry@greatriver.ca

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 5 ]

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20

surprising things

BY BRIAN DRYDEN

MetalCraft Marine Inc.

Eastern Ontario is well known for agriculture in Canada, but it is also an incubator for manufactured, designed and built items.

From new dairy products to innovative eco-friendly tools, we highlight 20 items being produced in the region.

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 7 ]

20 SURPRISING THINGS

1

Consumer favourite

Award-winning Mariposa Dairy Ltd. in Lindsay has grown from a 100acre goat farm making goat cheese to a thriving business with two facilities totaling more than 80,000 square feet of production, shipping and warehouse space.

Mariposa Dairy produces premium consumer-label goat and sheep cheese products, such as logs, feta, crumbles and more, and delivers its products throughout North America.

On May 31, 2023, its newest product — sheep logs with lavender honey and made with 100 per cent Ontario sheep milk — received two major awards from the Retail Council of Canada, including best in dairy and overall consumer value.

2

Protecting heroes

Pacific Safety Products (PSP) is based in the Ottawa Valley and makes safety gear for the military and police services. Its mission, it states, “is simple … we bring everyday heroes home safely.”

PSP designs, manufactures, sells and supports a line of high-performance, high-quality body armour for police, defence and security applications. The armour for men and women is built with comfort in mind and provides bullet, stab and fragmentation protection, as well as well-designed hardarmour plates, pouches, ballistic blankets and unloading stations.

Established in 1984, its team applies nearly four decades of product development and Canadian body armour manufacturing experience to Canadians serving on the front lines of military operations or policing the streets of our communities.

With proud roots originally in Western Canada, PSP is located in the heart of the Ottawa Valley, just west of Ottawa in a nearly 50,000-square-foot facility.

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3

Locked and loaded home frames

Kingston’s Lodestar Structures recently introduced a new line of precast concrete modular building units specifically designed for residential use called the Lodestar Residential Series. According to Lodestar, what sets its new series apart from other building methods is its focus on the needs and concerns of homeowners.

With construction costs on the rise and a shortage of skilled labour in the construction industry, the latest product provides a rapid construction option that can go from foundation to the primary frame of a traditional house in a single day, allowing projects to be completed quicker with fewer resources.

The series is also designed to accommodate the most common residential footprint and designs, while meeting both residential and commercial construction regulations.

4

Sawmill equipment

Located in the picturesque landscape of the Kawartha Lakes in Lindsay, TS Manufacturing has established itself as a leading force in the manufacturing industry. Since 1972, it has been a pioneer in designing, engineering and constructing equipment for sawmill companies across North America.

With subsidiary companies located in North Carolina and British Columbia, the company’s 2 reach has expanded, solidifying its status in the industry. Its team is comprised of more than 100 skilled professionals, including millwrights, welders, electricians, CNC operators, engineers, mechanical designers and onsite installation crews.

5

A leader in funeral supplies

A multi-generational family business in Lindsay is becoming known internationally for its unique environment-friendly burial caskets.

From its start in 1925, Northern Casket has become a premier funeral supply manufacturer and distributor of caskets as well as urns, furniture, embalming fluids and “green” burial products. Its Enviro-Casket™, developed in the late 1990s using only poplar and ash wood, has become known worldwide. The caskets have no metal, no chemicals and all-natural materials. They are assembled using peg and dowel assembly and feature unbleached, undyed cottons for the interiors. The two higher-end models get a tongue oil finish while the rest is left all natural with no finish or lacquers. Northern Casket also owns patents on an all-wood hinge and all-wood locking mechanism used for the envirocasket models and ships its products to the U.S., Ireland, Bermuda and beyond.

6

Out of this world stuff

What is as cool as being involved with NASA and the Space Shuttle?

Maybe making space exploration safe. Quatrosense Environmental Ltd. (QEL) is a leader in manufacturing toxic and combustible gas detection equipment. Commercial applications include carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide monitoring in parking garages, and carbon dioxide monitoring in schools and auditoriums. Industrial applications include ammonia monitoring in the agricultural industry, carbon dioxide and ammonia monitoring in the food and beverage industry and monitoring toxic and combustible gases for the

United Space Alliance. One of QEL’s most noteworthy clients is NASA, where its products have been critical to the safety and integrity of the U.S. Shuttle Program. Founded in 1986 with a strong commitment to research and development, QEL is located in an 18,000-square-foot head office and factory in Richmond, just southwest of Ottawa.

7

It's crunch time

Wonton Crunch, a proudly Smiths Falls-based food company, is making waves in the culinary world with its crunchy wontons. In just eight years, and after the invention of its own wontonfolding machine named Grace’s Goose, it’s grown by 1,000 per cent. The company transforms Asian-inspired flavours into crispy, addictive bites in flavours such as jalapeno and cream cheese, spicy buffalo chicken and coriander pork. Wonton Crunch sources ingredients from nearby farms, promoting sustainable practices.

The snacks are available at Farm Boy (under the Farm Boy label) and Metro locations across Ontario.

9

8

Standard of excellence

For the fourth time in the last six years, KI Canada Inc. furniturebuilding plant in Pembroke has been chosen as the plant of the year within the KI Corporation, which also operates several factories in the United States.

"Consistently winning this award is an attestation to the dedication and pride of our employees," said Dan Mellen, Pembroke's general manager.

KI Canada Inc. produces steel office filing and storage and has been operating in Pembroke for 24 years. KI itself was founded in 1941 and is committed to providing customers with the right solutions.

KI in Pembroke is a standalone division of KI (Krueger International) of Green Bay, Wis. The 265,000-square-foot building in

Eastern Ontario processes raw materials into finished products, which are in a wide variety of commercial, industrial and educational environments around the world.

9

Nature’s wild tea

For more than 20 years, the Algonquin Tea Company in Eganville made herbal teas from the plants that grow in Algonquin Park.

In 2021, it changed its name to Wild Canadian Tea, and expanded its offerings to include caffeinated teas. The company’s launch was inspired by the peacefulness of the wilderness, according to its owners.

Its marketing material asks, “Isn’t that what drinking tea is all about? Being present. Taking a few minutes to stop time and acknowledge the now moment, whatever it may be?”

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 9 ]

Lodestar Structures

10

Tranforming waste into energy

BIOMASS RECYCLE Canada Inc. (BRC), which operates in the Ottawa Valley, offers a service that diverts more than 250,000 metric tonnes of waste wood and lumber annually from landfill sites and forwards it to industrial processors. It transforms the waste into energy and other organic materials for agriculture and horticulture uses such as composts, mulch, animal litter, gardening soils and landscaping. Wood residues constitute almost half of the residual waste materials slated for landfill sites. BRC ensures their safe removal and disposal, allowing suppliers to save considerable landfill costs and to put their waste materials to good use as energy-generating residues and other useful materials in the local economy.

11

Wildfire protection

Just like when COVID hit and people needed protective masks, the 3M plant in Brockville has geared up to meet the needs of Canadians due to wildfires burning across [ 10 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

Canada and affecting air quality.

“Making sure people are properly protected is a focus for us. We’ll continue to support Canadians with the products coming out of Brockville,” said Penny Wise, president and managing director of 3M Canada. “The everyday mask is not enough to protect you from wildfire smoke,” adds Nikki McCullough, who’s been a respiratory health scientist at 3M for three decades. “Proper protection like an N95 respirator is your best choice because it is designed to form a seal to your face and filter very fine particles.”

12

Barging into business

Cornwall-based Canadian Barge Builders is Canada’s leading barge-maker, specializing in modular varieties. It designs its professionally crafted barges to be easily transported and configurable in numerous ways.

Barges can be customized to specifications, including spuds, spud wells, rakes and railings.

15

13

Sip some delicious watermelon

A soda business that cashed in on the farm-to-table trend is now expanding into the iced tea market with a new watermelon iced tea.

The County Bounty Artisanal Soda Co., now located in Napanee, evolved out of an organic vegetable farm just outside of Picton in Prince Edward County in 2016.

Artisanal Soda Co.’s Dodie Ellenbogen says she’s added a new watermelon iced tea this year after getting a cold press juicer last fall. “We use Ontario watermelons and it's so good. My new favourite,” she said.

14

Transforming Canadian Oats

RND Bakery is a Smiths Falls bakery creating great tasting oat-based products for those looking for healthier bread options. Using only four ingredients (water, locally sourced Canadian Oats, psyllium and salt) RND bakery’s products are yeast-free, gluten-free, vegan and hearthealthy. They are a delicious alternative for those who need less sugar in their diet.

The bakery’s bread, bagels and buns taste good and have a great texture. Available in health food stores in Ottawa, Kingston and throughout Lanark County, RND's mission is to make its products available to more Canadians who demand higher-quality nutrition, its founder, Will Spencer, said.

20 SURPRISING THINGS

15

Brewing up history

A Smiths Falls brewery creates craft beers celebrating the town’s history. The 4 Degrees Brewing Company started with two lifestyle beers called, Livin’ North of 7, an easy drinking Helles Lager with subtle hoppy undertones, and South of 7, a crisp red cream, amber-hued ale with a hint of caramel undertones. As well, its other beers pay homage to the history of Smiths Falls. For example, the Frost & Wood 55 beer marks a factory that closed in 1955, and a beer paying respect to the Rideau Canal Locks is called Old Slys 69. There’s also the first issue of a First World War Remembrance Series of beers, called Hill 70, a Belgian Blonde beer with fruity backgrounds and a clean finish, which pays tribute to local veterans and the sacrifices they made by remembering one of Canada’s battles. The brewery’s owners — Nick Ritchie, Andrew Howard, Chris Haines, Tim Vandermeer and Dave Jones — who all live in Smiths Falls, stress community involvement and promoting Smiths Falls is just as important to them as their beer.

16

Serious boats

Kingston’s MetalCraft Marine Inc. is a fully integrated designer/builder of aluminum highperformance fire, rescue, patrol, research and military boats. The company, launched in 1987, makes custom-designed vessels and has grown from four to 90 employees since then. It has built 1,101 boats to date for customers, which include

the U.S. and Canadian Coast Guard, New Zealand Navy, Bangladesh Army, the Panama Canal and Kuwait fire services, as well as the ports of Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Seattle, San Diego, Corpus Christi, Houston, New York City and many others around the world.

17

Aged to perfection

What happens when you have a great idea and can’t shake it? You make it happen. That is how Kingston’s Hardway Cider Co.’s founders started, with the idea they could produce a cider where they controlled the process, from the ground to the glass. Using age-old artisanal techniques, a unique selection of apples and oak barrels from some of the best distilleries and wineries across North America, the company makes dry, flavourful ciders. One of the keys to Hardway’s process is aging the ciders in previously used oak barrels. Two such ciders coming soon are the Ramboozle, aged in rum barrels, and Loco Blanco, aged in tequila barrels.

18

Solve. Design. Deliver.

Kingston’s Pure Ingenuity Inc. specializes in providing custom-designed manufacturing equipment for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and fine chemical manufacturing industries that require large-scale processing equipment, stainless steel tanks, stainless steel vessels and pressure vessels. The company has also worked in the fields of alternative energy, biotechnology, textiles, automotive

Atlantic Braids Ltd.

Pure Ingenuity and public art, having helped artist Bill Lishman create and install his giant metal iceberg sculpture outside the Canadian Museum of Nature in downtown Ottawa.

19

Braids that bind

Atlantic Braids Ltd. is located in Chute a Blondeau, between Ottawa and Montreal, and is a Canadian manufacturer that makes cordage and synthetic fibre ropes that can be customized to suit client needs.

Atlantic Braids has been manufacturing cordage for decades and has evolved and innovated along the way by adjusting to new materials and new technology.

It manufactures cordage for use in agriculture, construction, forestry, mining and other industries. It has a wide range of high-quality rope such as nylon, polyester, composite, mono-filament polypropylene and high modulus polyethylene fibre.

20

Voltari: electric perfection on water

The Merrickville-based Voltari 260 electric boat is designed around a performance hull that made the Pantera brand an offshore legend.

But this electric boat, made from 100 per cent carbon fiber, is 2,200 pounds lighter than a conventional fiberglass vessel.

Two electric motors connected to a single drive, and six battery packs with 142 kWh of total capacity, add to the boat’s total weight of just 7,000-pounds. Peak output hits 550 kilowatts (the equivalent of 740 horsepower) and you feel it. With 995 foot pounds of torque, the motors deliver blistering acceleration. A Konrad outdrive and power steering add ambient noise to what is billed as a ‘silent’ ride. The first batch produced of the $475,000 Voltaris will be delivered this year.

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 11 ]

NEED APPRENTICES?

Up to $20,000 in help is available right now! *

Eligible small and medium-sized businesses can apply for support from the Canadian Apprenticeship Service.

In addition to the grant, build your future workforce with: • free access to employer-apprentice matching services; • free access to mentorship programs; and • free access to diversity and inclusion training.

Apply for your grant at ApprenticeSearch.com/CAS

*E&OE, some conditions apply. See website for details.

Working on EVs' frontier

BY BRIAN DRYDEN

The province of Ontario is putting on a push to build a homegrown EV sector and Eastern Ontario finds itself at the forefront.

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STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 15 ]

T

he Ontario provincial government’s "the future is electric" advertising campaign makes it clear that the province is banking on an electric vehicle (EV) industry being vital to its future economic prosperity.

Economic development organizations and higher education institutions in Eastern Ontario are working together to help develop the burgeoning EV sector as senior levels of government pour money into making the region a vital hub of EV innovation in the province and Canada.

Both Invest Ottawa and the Kingston Economic Development Corporation are working with all levels of government, civic, provincial and federal, as well as local universities and colleges to make sure that Eastern Ontario’s two main economic hubs can take full advantage of the economic opportunities that the growing EV sector offers.

A recent investment by the Ontario government to the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network’s Regional Future Workforce program, which supports innovative projects, including one led by the University of Ottawa, is designed to connect the next generation of workers to the province’s growing EV auto sector.

“This will introduce students to opportunities in the auto sector and help them develop the skills they need to secure well-paying jobs after graduation,” said Kwok Wong, director of communications at the Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Prioritizing EV battery production

In the summer of 2022, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a deal with Belgian company Umicore to build a $1.5-billion EV battery production facility in the Greater Kingston area. Ontario Premier Doug Ford jointly was on hand for the announcement at Queen’s University.

“Today’s announcement is about creating jobs, cutting pollution and building a stronger, cleaner economy for Canadians,” Trudeau said at the time. “[It] is another major step forward as we make Canada a global leader in producing electric vehicles. This new facility will play an important role in Canada’s clean automotive sector

[ 16 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

well into the future.”

Invest Ottawa’s vice-president of strategy and communications Sonya Shorey said Ottawa is well positioned to be an incubator for EV development in Ontario because the city is already a hub of high-tech economic development. She said Ottawa is “in a sweet spot” to take advantage of economic opportunities in the emerging EV sector in the province.

“Ottawa is a global tech hub with a well-coordinated effort in smart mobility, autonomy and connectivity that leverages the unique strengths … and attributes of Canada’s capital,” Shorey said, adding the city has the highest concentration of tech talent in North America.

With an EV ecosystem taking shape in Eastern Ontario around Kingston, education officials are trying to determine the skills that will be needed by the growing industry.

To that end, Queen's University and the Kingston Economic Development Commission have partnered with the provincial government to create a battery manufacturing certification program to help focus educational programs to prepare skilled workers for the EV sector in Ontario.

Harnessing the region’s tech talent

In Ottawa, organizations such as Invest Ottawa, the city’s primary economic development organization, are partnering to create innovation clusters to harness all of the region’s tech talent.

Invest Ottawa’s Shorey said that her organization is “combining diverse expertise with Ottawa's telecom and cybersecurity strengths as a global tech hub and is operating one of the most advanced communications infrastructures in the world — the only all-weather R&D complex of its kind in North America with a private and public vehicle-to-everything (V2X) test facility on city streets.” She added that it “that fuels the creation, commercialization and adoption of breakthrough smart-mobility innovations.”

Area X.O, Invest Ottawa’s innovation and test facility, is an 1,866-acre, fenced and gated space with more than 16 kilometres of paved roads in the Kanata

North Tech Park. In 2022, Area X.O was used by the City of Ottawa, and federal and Ontario governments to test a driverless, autonomous electric bus.

Among the big challenges faced by communities as more and more people transition into EVs is how cities will manage the energy demands the new vehicles place on municipal infrastructure and how energy grids manage this demand.

At Area X.O, Invest Ottawa is collaborating with companies such as BluWave-Ai, Hydro Ottawa and Moment Energy to address this challenge, with a pilot project called EV Everywhere that will use AI to create an online service for EV owners that will pool the storage and charging capabilities of EV batteries to smooth out demand peaks and take advantage of lower cost energy during off-peak hours. The automated system will also gauge customer interest and impacts.

Eastern Ontario is well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities that the emerging EV sector offers because Canada is the only country with freetrade agreements with all G7 markets.

Ottawa is close to the border providing easy access to the U.S. and well-connected transportation infrastructure. And let’s not forget it’s in Ontario, Canada’s leading automotive producer.

Businesses in Ottawa have also cultivated strong research capabilities around the National Research Council (NRC) and NRCan, which offers local companies’ resources to commercialize technologies such as new battery materials and battery safety testing.

CANMET, the national research lab under NRCan, is located in Ottawa and supported the Hydrogen Fuel Cell bus demo project in Ottawa.

The national battery safety testing centre is also located at the NRC in Ottawa.

Carleton University and the University of Ottawa also have research in solid-state batteries and innovative battery materials.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (centre) tour a Li-Cycle, a lithiumion battery recycling firm, in Kingston, Ont. earlier this year.

Jobs in the EV sector

The creation of an EV sector in Eastern Ontario will bring with it numerous technical jobs and it will also create many more traditional business-operation jobs. These include management and administration positions in the EV supply chain that governments are hoping to foster.

John Conrad, director of Innovation and Business Engagement at St. Lawrence College in Kingston, says there will be a wide range of jobs created locally.

“I have just provided categories of work which are not likely on the surface much different than any other manufacturing environment, however the difference lies with the technology and materials used in the manufacturing processes.”

According to Conrad and the Ontario provincial government’s economic development, job creation and trade ministry, Eastern Ontario can expect there will be key staffing requirements for the EV battery-related businesses in the areas listed below.

• Engineering: process, automation, electrical, mechanical, product, project (three per cent) • Management: engineering, lab/analytics, quality, site, process/production and financial, marketing, sales, communications (five per cent) • Office work: administration, lab supervisors, logistics, maintenance, planner, production/project management, warehousing (25 per cent) • Production work: lab operator, logistics operator, production operator, warehouse operator (57 per cent) • Technicians: automation, electrical, lab (chemistry), mechanical (10 per cent)

Spin-off opportunities coming

In a statement to Stuff magazine, the ministry said, “As more companies continue investing in Ontario’s growing automotive sector, we expect to see opportunities in a wide range of sectors including engineering, manufacturing, research, mining and more.

“These jobs will include chemical, electrical and industrial engineering professionals and skilled trades roles for industrial electricians, mechanics and process controllers and automation technicians. Beyond skilled roles at the new plants, new jobs will also be created in supply chain industries and at local businesses in host communities.”

The government is also investing in partnership projects to help people land full-time jobs in the province’s automotive sector.

“Managed by the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association (APMA) and Automotive Industries Association of Canada (AIA), participants will be provided with skills for careers in machine operation, assembly, quality control and logistics, while also preparing automotive technicians and those interested in the industry for work in the emerging electricvehicle field,” a government statement said.

The jobs that will be created for the EV battery sector, “will be well paying jobs by their nature,” said Abdul Razak Jendi of the Kingston Economic Development Commission, adding that he couldn’t nail down salary ranges just yet.

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 17 ]

AGRICULTURE

A bumper crop of jobs

Labour shortages plague Eastern Ontario’s agricultural sector.

Who will harvest the work opportunities?

L

BY NEIL MACMILLAN ike many other sectors of the Canadian economy, agri-food is suffering from worsening labour shortages at several occupational levels.

These shortages are severely crimping the sector’s current performance and future growth and the statistics are particularly ominous for Eastern Ontario because it has a higher proportion of agri-food workers compared with other parts of the province.

The December 2022 Labour Force Survey counts a Canadian agri-food labour force of 260,600 workers, down

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37,200 or 12.5 per cent compared to prepandemic numbers (February 2020). In broad terms, the industry faces ongoing pressures from population aging and fewer older individuals returning to work in agriculture after the pandemic. This national sector’s chronic labour shortage is forecasted to grow from 63,000 to as many as 123,000 workers by 2029.

According to the latest estimates from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC), Ontario agriculture is facing a projected shortfall of 47,300 of the 112,300 workers needed by 2029 due to the loss of 36 per cent of the

workforce because of retirement.

“This will widen the labour gap even further and prevent the province’s vital agriculture sector from reaching its full potential,” the CAHRC states in its report on How Labour Challenges Will Shape the Future of Agriculture in Ontario.

In April 2021, a major response to these national systemic challenges was the launch of the national workforce strategic plan for agriculture and food and beverage manufacturing, “a comprehensive roadmap” developed by the CAHRC, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture and Food and Beverage Canada.

At the time, CAHRC executive director Jennifer Wright stated: “While good work is being undertaken by many groups, industry also recognizes the gravity of the challenge, the need for new and different ways of doing things and, most importantly, the need for collaborative action.”

In response, in February this year the federal government announced more than $19.7 million in funding for two agriculture and agri-food projects under its sectoral workforce solutions program: a little more than $12 million for CAHRC for its growing the agricultural workforce as part of Canada’s post-pandemic recovery and $7.7 million to Food Processing Skills Canada for its project titled workforce destination: qualified people, successful careers & competitive business.

In 2021, the CAHRC also commissioned a firm called Personnel Talent Inc. to prepare a sector action plan specifically for Ontario. The plan, based on 2018 data, identifies 97,800 jobs in primary agriculture (including 28,800 temporary foreign workers) in Ontario and more than 101,000 jobs in food and beverage processing.

Within the Ontario agri-food sector, Eastern Ontario ranks as a top-three regional producer in three commodity areas: grain/ oilseeds, dairy and poultry/eggs.

The remarkable fertility of Eastern Ontario’s soil and the flatness of its land is primarily due to the region’s being the bed of the former Atlantic Ocean inlet known as the Champlain Sea, an area that also includes southern Quebec and upper New York State.

Primarily due to this fertility, the largest volume and weight of “stuff” grown, raised, produced or processed in Eastern Ontario is human and animal food.

Grass, grains, vegetables, fruit, livestock, milk, cheese, eggs, wine, honey, garlic, wool, flowers, maple syrup are all farm products that are in great abundance in Eastern Ontario.

For statistical purposes, this region includes the six census divisions of Frontenac, Leeds-Grenville, Lanark, Renfrew, Prescott-Russell and Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry.

Overall, the Eastern Ontario region is still suffering from the closure in 2014 of the agricultural programs at two satellite University of Guelph campuses in Kemptville and Alfred respectively.

While the French-language programs from Alfred were in principle picked up by Collège La Cité in Ottawa, the Kemptville programs were not picked up by the region’s two Anglophone colleges: Ottawabased Algonquin (with satellite campuses

in Pembroke and Perth) and Kingstonbased St. Lawrence College (with satellite campuses in Brockville and Cornwall).

At the same time, the region’s three workforce planning boards — the Eastern Ontario Training Board (EOTB) based in Cornwall, the Eastern Workforce Innovation Board (EWIB) based in Ganonoque and the Labour Market Group of Renfrew and Lanark (LMGRL) based in Pembroke — are emerging as potentially even more important players in the agrifood workforce development ecosystem in Eastern Ontario, somewhat along the lines of the “collaborative” approach advocated by the CAHRC’s Jennifer Wright.

These three agencies, funded directly by annually renewable contracts with the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development not only foster collaboration among all labour force stakeholders in their respective territories, but also hold monthly virtual meetings to dovetail their efforts across the entire region.

One shared role they play is to produce annual labour market plans for their respective territories. Another common role is to propose short-term training courses to local post-secondary educational institutions to meet identified needs.

Continues on page 24

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 23 ]

The EOTB, for example, collaborated with St. Lawrence College to develop a course to prepare students to work in controlledenvironment farming, a booming subsector in the region with firms such as ZipGrow, Fieldless Farms, Canobi and Kyan Culture.

Another example is the two-year BusinessAgriculture diploma offered by Algonquin College’s Perth campus.

All three boards — the EOTB, EWIB and LMGRL — also operate job search tools either via their websites or at yournextjob. ca in the EOTB’s case.

At the same time, the evidence seems to show that due to other more priority sectors, agri-food is not yet a top priority for any of these boards in terms of either training courses or staff expertise.

Going forward, Ontario Federation of Agriculture president Peggy Brekveld, who is also vice-chair of both the CAHRC and its provincial counterpart, the Agriculture Adaptation Council (AAC), says that national responses to these systemic challenges include research into challenges and possible answers; tools to ease the challenges of hiring and retaining [ 24 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

staff; promotion of the industry as a place to work; efforts to reach out to diverse and underrepresented persons (including ethnic minorities, Indigenous, women and people with unique abilities); and workers to be sourced partly from a Canadian base and partly from an international base.

Provincial responses through the AAC include eight innovative human resource solutions from the Ontario Agri-Careers Support Initiative; three practical industry solutions to the employment challenges in food and beverage processing; three ways food and beverage processors are developing skills training and membership; and a guide to help food and beverage processor employers understand the temporary foreign worker program.

A recent good news story in Cornwall is that of Fredy Ibanez, a former instructor from the national agricultural college in Colombia who has been in Canada for less than a year.

After initially working as a forklift operator for Matrix Logistics in Cornwall, Ibanez was recently hired as a grower

by Cornwall-based ZipGrow, a major manufacturer of indoor vertical farms for

the international market.

According to ZipGrow president Eric Lang, who grew up on a family dairy farm in nearby Williamstown, Ibanez has proven to be a good hire, partly thanks to a government worker subsidy program.

Lang adds that the indirect hiring approach in Ibanez’s case is actually typical for his company because ZipGrow has so far not had much success with regular channels like advertising through Indeed and other online job search platforms.

Lang says that today’s generation of homegrown Canadians are not inherently attracted to the agri-food sector. This means that the sector is becoming increasingly dependent on either foreign workers or recent immigrants who still have a strong manual work ethic and roots that are closer to farm labour.

On that front, Lang is proud that approximately half of his current 18 or so employees are originally from outside Canada.

While he feels this diversity is a huge plus for his own business, he has no magic solutions for the sector as a whole.

Want to work in agri-food?

Here are the details on what’s available in this field.

Jobs in the agri-food industry are divided into three sectors: primary (farming), secondary (food/beverage processing) and tertiary (restaurants, grocery stores, etc.)

The most in-demand agri-food job postings in Eastern Ontario (January to July 2023): Cooks:.................................................................................................................................1,538 Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers, etc: ....................................................1,156 Food/beverage servers: ................................................................................................. 513 Food service supervisors: .............................................................................................. 483 Restaurant and food service managers:....................................................................476 Bartenders:......................................................................................................................... 330 Chefs:..................................................................................................................................... 193 Bakers:................................................................................................................................... 183 Labourers in food and beverage processing: ............................................................. 29 Butchers (retail/wholesale):.............................................................................................. 17 Livestock labourers:.............................................................................................................16 Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing:.........15 Harvesting labourers:...........................................................................................................11 Supervisors, food and beverage processing): .............................................................. 8

Typical pay ranges from the Indeed job search website: Primary

Farm labourer:.................................................................................$15,50 to $25 per hour Farm machine operator: ..................................................................$25 to $30 per hour Livestock manager:.........................................................$48,000 to $52,000 per year

Secondary

Food processing labourer: ..............................................................................$21 per hour Food and beverage processing machine operator:.....$20.30 to $26.55 per hour Dairy equipment technician:...........................................................$30 to $45 per hour Food processing engineer: ................................................................... $72,800 per year Technical director, food manufacturing:.................$90,000 to $150,000 per year

Tertiary

Server/bartender: .........................................................................$15.50 to $22 per hour Grocery associate:............................................................................... $16 to $18 per hour Cooks:................................................................................................$15.50 to $24 per hour Kitchen helper/supervisor: .........................................................$16 to $27.25 per hour Waiter/waitress:...............................................................$4,000 to $4,500 per month Store clerk: ................................................................................ $15.00 to $23.61 per hour Grocery manager:............................................................$50,000 to $55,000 per year — Neil Macmillan

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 25 ]

Explore the Possibilities Ontario’s Specialist High School Major program connects students with industry partners opening up different pathways to success

SPONSORED CONTENT

Key benefits of SHSM FOR STUDENTS SHSM facilitates the ‘what next’ decisionmaking process by providing students, and more importantly, also their families with a window into the multitude of career opportunities available.

• • • • •

FOR EMPLOYERS • • • • •

Options.

Possibilities.

Opportunities.

T

hese are what students today are looking for when they are choosing their career path. It isn’t a linear path but one that criss-crosses and constantly evolves. Students, and their parents and guardians, are keen to understand and explore the options before zeroing in on what suits them best.

This is where the Specialist High Skills Major (SHSM) diploma opportunity comes in. This provincial program supported by the Ministry of Education and delivered through the local school boards in partnership with industry partners, helps students explore a career path that matches their skills, interests and talents while earning a Specialist Ontario

Secondary School Diploma.

This program helps students engage with industry partners, focus on learning in a specific sector, and gain relevant experience while getting the credits they need to graduate. It helps students gain employment, apprenticeship, college or university after graduation. For the employer, it provides them with a qualified workforce that is ready to hit the ground running.

WHAT NEXT?

The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board currently offers 45 programs across 13 SHSM sectors including manufacturing, construction, business, arts, horticulture and more. SHSM facilitates the ‘what next’ decision-making process by providing students, and more importantly, also their families with a window into the multitude of career opportunities available.

Build Relevant Industry skills; Industry Recognized Certifications at no cost; Authentic Experiential Learning with Industry partners; Reach Ahead Opportunities (Dual Credit, OYAP); and Innovation, Creativity, Entrepreneurship Opportunities.

Fresh set of eyes and ideas; Instant access to prospective employees; Workforce with sectorspecific certifications and training; Access to bright minds coming out of high school; and High-school graduates who can hit the ground running.

Choosing a career for a high school student is not a straight path but more of an exploration expedition. Parents and guardians are essential companions in this journey.

SHSM students going home and sharing their experiences help both generations understand the multitude of opportunities available beyond the traditional roles like a doctor or a lawyer.

SHSM introduces and reinforces the belief among students, parents and guardians that there are many career paths that can be just as beneficial and lucrative.

For more information, contact Curtis Van de Ligt • OCDSB SHSM Lead curtis.van.de.ligt@ocdsb.ca)

SPONSORED CONTENT

Pathway to success How high school programs connect students and industry partners:

54,000

Ontario students currently enrolled in SHSM programs

2,294

SHSM programs being offered across Ontario

690

Ontario High Schools offering SHSM programs

19

SHSM sectors covered in the programs offered

SHSM provides flexibility to students with their post-graduation transition to apprenticeship training, college, university or the workplace, with the option to shift between pathways, should their goals and plans change.

Even if students choose not to pursue their choice, it’s an easier, quicker and less expensive way to explore their options than enrolling in a postsecondary program, for example. Those who do continue are more likely to complete college or university because they know it’s what they want to do.

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

The SHSM program focuses on experiential learning combined with developing a mindset suitable for 21stcentury careers. The program fosters design thinking, showing students how to go from an idea to a complete product and beyond. Students can bring fresh eyes and ideas, offering creative ways to approach a problem or a challenge offered by their industry partners.

It also helps teachers deliver the

curriculum in an authentic way, without it being just about the textbooks.

Students get to see how school translates to the real world and they discover there can be a purpose to their lessons.

SKILLED WORKFORCE

Industry partners gain from this partnership just as much as a student does. SHSM enables students to obtain sector-recognized certifications, complete training courses and gain valuable on-the-job experience. Not only does the industry get access to the bright minds coming out of high school but they are also gaining a workforce that is already skilled, certified, and well immersed in the industry culture.

Employers don’t need the additional time or training to get their new hires up to speed.

SPONSORED CONTENT

What our students are saying SHSM overall was just such a fun experience and the skills you learn will be very useful no matter what your path is for the future. There’s all sorts of training and community partnerships. I personally really enjoyed helping out at the Parkdale Food Center.

- STUDENT, LISGAR HIGH SCHOOL, SHSM PROGRAM, NON-PROFIT SECTOR

For more information, please visit ocdsb.ca/shsm

SPONSORED CONTENT

The SHSM program has brought me fabulously unforgettable experiences! I’ve been able to travel to different schools to film, film in my home school, have had the opportunity to design and print T-shirts, design cool things, and as a student who will be graduating next year, I can’t wait to continue being a part of this excellent program!

- WOLFGANG KLUCHERT, OTTAWA TECHNICAL SECONDARY SCHOOL, GRADE 11

Who wants you and what they’ll pay STUFF takes you on a tour of what manufacturing and construction jobs are in demand in Ontario and what they pay.

Eastern Ontario is a hub of construction, manufacturing jobs, so if you're interested in such a job, the world is right here in your backyard. Thanks to the Eastern Ontario Training Board, the charts that follow answer questions such as, "which ones will pay the best?" and "which ones are most in demand at the moment?"

Among the highest-paying jobs we list in the construction sector are civil engineers, who make $128,000 a year, while in manufacturing, it’s professional engineers who make top dollar at $170,000 a year. There are highskilled jobs and low-skilled ones that are in demand in both sectors. Read on to see where you might find a fit. [ 30 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

TOP 20

Occupations by job number 20 highest-employment occupations in the construction industry

20 highest-employment occupations in the manufacturing industry

Occupation

Occupation 3,394

Construction trades helpers and labourers Carpenters

2,314

Electricians (except industrial and power system)

2,311

Construction managers

1,884

Plumbers

1,093

Heavy equipment operators (except crane)

1,066

Construction estimators

1,030

1,270

Manufacturing managers Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing

1,052 631

Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical)

543

Material handlers Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics

498

Electrical and electronics engineers

472

Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

456

Shippers and receivers

451

Administrative assistants

834

Transport truck drivers

793

Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors

406

Contractors and supervisors, other construction trades, installers, repairers and servicers

763

Computer programmers and interactive media developers

394

Heating, refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics

746

Transport truck drivers

384

Administrative officers

717

Software engineers and designers

368

Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews

723

Accounting technicians and bookkeepers

Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade

358

628

Electronics assemblers, fabricators, inspectors and testers

356

Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations

610

Furniture and fixture assemblers and inspectors

356

Residential and commercial installers and servicers

602

Welders and related machine operators

322

Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians

291

Industrial and manufacturing engineers

289

Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades

552

General office support workers

521

Bricklayers

393

Computer engineers (except software engineers and designers)

281

Industrial electricians

381

Purchasing agents and officers

279

0

500

1500

2500

Employed in industry 2022

3500

0

300

600

900

1200

1500

Employed in industry 2022 STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 31 ]

TOP 20

Occupations by growth rate 20 fastest-growing jobs in the construction industry (between 2021 and 2023) Occupation

20 fastest-growing jobs in the manufacturing industry (between 2021 and 2023) Occupation

197

Construction trades helpers and labourers Electricians (except industrial and power system)

193

Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

Construction managers

190

Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing

Construction estimators

106

Carpenters

102

Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations

51

Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades

50

Heavy equipment operators (except crane)

44

Residential and commercial installers and servicers

38 37

Transport truck drivers Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers

34

Contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews

32

48 36 28

Transport truck drivers

63

Plumbers

55

Manufacturing managers

Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical)

25

Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors

25

Shippers and receivers

23

Supervisors, other mechanical and metal products manufacturing

22

Industrial designers

22

Furniture and fixture assemblers and inspectors

19

Mechanical assemblers and inspectors

19

General farm workers

18

Plastic products assemblers, finishers and inspectors

17

Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators

15

Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers

30

Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians

14

Construction inspectors

25

Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics

14

Heavy-duty equipment mechanics

23

Human resources professionals

13

Industrial electricians

20

Chemists

13

Concrete finishers

18

Cabinetmakers

13

Floor covering installers

17

Other professional engineers, n.e.c.

13

Industrial electricians

13

Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades

16 0

100

150

200

Additional jobs between 2021 and 2023 [ 32 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

0

10

20

30

40

50

Additional jobs between 2021 and 2023

60

TOP JOBS BY

Occupations by projected growth 20 fastest-growing jobs in the construction industry (between 2021 and 2023) Construction managers Electricians (except industrial and power system) Construction trades helpers and labourers Construction estimators Contractors and supervisors, electrical trades and telecommunications occupations Contractors and supervisors, carpentry trades Residential and commercial installers and servicers Plumbers Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers Carpenters Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers Construction inspectors Floor covering installers Heavy-duty equipment mechanics Heavy equipment operators (except crane) Home building and renovation managers Contractors and supervisors, pipefitting trades Contractors and supervisors, mechanic trades Transport truck drivers Power system electricians Concrete finishers

47

23 22 19 18 16 14 14 13 12 10 10 9 7 6 6 6 6

72

52

0

80

93

100

Additional jobs between 2021 and 2023

20 fastest-growing jobs in the manufacturing industry (between 2021 and 2023) Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors Bakers Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing Shippers and receivers Industrial designers Transport truck drivers Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical) Supervisors, other mechanical and metal products manufacturing Mechanical assemblers and inspectors Plastic products assemblers, finishers and inspectors Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors Manufacturing managers Industrial painters, coaters and metal finishing process operators Furniture and fixture assemblers and inspectors Chemists Cabinetmakers Industrial electricians Retail salespersons Supervisors, mineral and metal processing Other professional engineers, n.e.c.

Human resources professionals Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors 0

7 7 7 7 7 7

14 13 13 12 12 11 10 10 10 9 9 8

35

19 19 18

25

35

Additional jobs between 2021 and 2023 STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 33 ]

TOP 20

Occupations by demand 20 most in-demand jobs in the construction industry by online job postings Administrative assistants Administrative officers Construction trades helpers and labourers Transport truck drivers Transportation route and crew schedulers Light duty cleaners Shippers and receivers Plumbers Carpenters Delivery service drivers and door-to-door distributors General building maintenance workers and building superintendents Accounting and related clerks Material handlers Human resources professionals Power engineers and power systems operators Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics Purchasing and inventory control workers Retail and wholesale trade managers Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners Other administrative services managers

20 most in-demand jobs in the manufacturing industry by online job postings 78 58 35 24 21 21 19 19 17 17 15 14 14 13 12 11 10 10 10 9

85 79 76 64 63 62 58 48 47 44 37 36 32 30 29 24 23 23 21 21

Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical) Retail and wholesale buyers Other customer and information services representatives Material handlers Manufacturing managers Delivery service drivers and door-to-door distributors Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers Corporate sales managers Other labourers in processing, manufacturing and utilities Administrative assistants Other business services managers Administrative officers Shippers and receivers Retail and wholesale trade managers Cooks Professional occupations in advertising, marketing and public relations Transport truck drivers Other products assemblers, finishers and inspectors Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling coordination occupations Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics

Occupations by wage 20 jobs with the highest advertised salaries in the construction industry Civil engineers Corporate sales managers Information systems analysts and consultants Crane operators Engineering managers Construction managers Professional occupations in business management consulting Advertising, marketing and public relations managers Financial and investment analysts Human resources professionals Concrete finishers Executive assistants Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical) Plumbers Roofers and shinglers Bricklayers Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade Sheet metal workers Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers Home building and renovation managers

[ 34 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

20 jobs with the highest advertised salaries in the manufacturing industry $128,000 $111,280 $98,342 $91,333 $87,500 $87,296 $84,366 $84,366 $84,366 $84,224 $82,944 $80,449 $80,128 $78,080 $75,008 $72,800 $70,000 $68,864 $67,500 $66,816

$170,000 $170,000 $157,500 $114,688 $110,000 $109,824 $97,280 $90,112 $84,291 $84,032 $83,968 $78,592 $77,500 $75,264 $75,000 $74,880 $73,984 $73,744 $69,705 $69,376

Other professional engineers, n.e.c.

Financial sales representatives Engineering managers Computer and information systems managers Purchasing managers Software engineers and designers Electrical and electronics engineers Electricians (except industrial and power system) Biologists and related scientists Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics Financial managers Computer network technicians Technical sales specialists - wholesale trade Human resources and recruitment officers Engineering inspectors and regulatory officers Construction millwrights and industrial mechanics Mechanical engineers Non-destructive testers and inspection technicians Human resources managers Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians

CAREER PLANNING

Which technical profession is right for YOU?

1

On a typical Saturday, you can be found A Cruising around and taking care of your car.

B

C

Scouting and testing out the latest tech gadgets at Best Buy.

2

After graduation, you’re considering

A Getting a job as soon as possible.

Tinkering with tools and gear in the garage.

E

4

A Know how to build and restore cars.

B

Have the latest and greatest technology before everyone else.

C

Volunteer with a disaster relief group during a crisis.

An apprenticeship.

Earning a certificate; you want to perfect a certain skill.

5

Architecture or graphic design.

C

Cybersecurity or software engineering.

Civil or mechanical engineering.

A. 5 A. 3 A. 1 A. 3 A. 5

Fixer Upper and Property Brothers.

C

MythBusters.

D Stranger Things and Black Mirror.

E

Top Gear and Fast N’ Loud.

MOSTLY 1S

You enjoy solving problems and saving the day. Guess what? There are several technical professions that allow you to showcase that talent and get paid (very well) while doing so.

MOSTLY 2S

D Physics or aerospace.

1 2 3 4 5

B

• Industrial maintenance • CNC service technician • Substation and transmission tech • Electrician • Agri-technician

B

E

A How-to videos on YouTube.

Jobs perfect for you:

A Logistics or supply-chain management.

Take a road trip across the country.

Circle the letter you chose for each question to reveal its number — what number did you get the most?

C

Let’s say you take a longer study route.

Which major would you be most likely to pick?

D Build skyscrapers and hospitals.

E

A gap year, travelling; a little freedom.

E

Helping mom move a couch, fixing the sink, running the grill, setting up new TV/internet service — you seem to be able to figure anything out!

You think it would be cool to …

B

D The least amount of postsecondary study you can do while still getting a degree.

D Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity or binge-watching HGTV.

3

Some of your favourite things to watch are

B. 4 B. 5 B. 2 B. 4 B. 2

C. 3 C. 1 C. 3 C. 1 C. 4

D. 2 D. 4 D. 4 D. 2 D. 3

Looking for other quizzes and resources? Try these: • SparkPath Challenge Cards | SparkPath mysparkpath.com • EdgeFactor edgefactor.com • Job Bank Career planning - Choose a career jobbank.gc.ca • Career Gear - Ottawa Employment Hub ottawaemploymenthub.ca/ job-seekers/programs-and-resources/

E. 1 E. 2 E. 5 E. 5 E. 1

You have a passion for making and building things, which may have started when you got your first Lego or after a weekend marathon of Fixer Upper. Either way, your knack for building things can lead to a high-paying career in a technical profession.

Jobs perfect for you: • Jobs in construction • CAD/CAM drafter • Tool and die maker • CNC machinist • Welder

MOSTLY 3S

You know your way around a toolbox.

You’re handy and can fix things on your own. On-the-job training, an apprenticeship or a certificate — these training options are all you’ll need to get a job after high school.

Jobs perfect for you: • Diesel technician • HVACR technician • Agri-technician • Electrician • Plumber

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 35 ]

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO NEXT? WHETHER YOU’RE STARTING OUT, HEADING IN A NEW DIRECTION, OR EXPLORING NEW OPTIONS, ALL IT TAKES IS FINDING THE RIGHT DOOR, TO OPEN A THOUSAND OTHERS.

Find a program that fits your interests and goals. SLC offers 100+ programs on our Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall campuses and online, including fast-track and part-time programs, four-year degrees, and graduate certificates.

Explore Opportunities

FIND YOUR DOOR

G R A D U AT E C E R T I F I C AT E S

Graduate Certificates Take your skills to the next level! Graduate Certificates are short in duration, focus on industry-driven learning, and deliver real-world experiential learning opportunities. SLC offers several Graduate Certificate programs, including Business Analytics, Project Management, and Supply Chain Management, that will give you a career-focused education and specialized skills and knowledge.

Explore Graduate Certificates

SKILLED TRADES Skilled Trades Are you ready to be in demand? SLC’s Skilled Trades programs will prepare you for a career with real-world skills that employers require.

A wide selection of certificate, diploma, and apprenticeship programs are available for individuals wishing to start a skilled trade or those who want to advance their skills.

1-YEAR CERTIFICATES

Carpentry Techniques General Construction Carpentry Techniques

2-YEAR DIPLOMAS

Electrical Engineering Technician Esthetician Hairstyling Mechanical Technician Welding and Fabrication Technician

APPRENTICESHIPS

Automotive Service Technician Brick and Stone Masonry Carpenter Cook Electrician: Construction and Maintenance General Machinist Hairstyling Industrial Electrician Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) Plumber Welder

Explore Skilled Trades

SLC

CONTINUING EDUCATION

Welding for all levels

+ Certificates + Professional Development + Micro-credentials + Graduate Certificates + Personal Growth & Interest Continuing Education provides flexible learning and growth opportunities that move beyond traditional program and delivery models. Whether your goal is to pursue a new interest, upskill or reskill, or to drive business innovation, Continuing Education offers various learning experiences.

Explore SLC+

SPONSORED CONTENT

[ 40 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

SPONSORED CONTENT

Meet the

YOUNG PROS

The worlds of manufacturing and construction offer a range of exciting jobs for new graduates and with the labour shortage, there are plenty of opportunities. We profile four young people who have made it in these fields and are enjoying rewarding careers.

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 41 ]

SPONSORED CONTENT

Harsh Trivedi

Bryan Plazarte

Current Job: Project coordinator at Select Doors

Current Job: Process technician at Canada Royal Milk

Harsh Trivedi was originally planning on a highoctane career in automotive engineering. After completing his engineering degree in India, and with his brother’s experience guiding him, Trivedi came to Canada to tune up his resume with a project management certificate.

During his studies at St. Lawrence College, Trivedi learned about the integral role that supply chains play in turning parts and pieces into products on shelves and showroom floors.

His professors convinced him to stick around for another year of studies, which was paired with an inventory management-focused internship at Wholesale Club to help him gain hands-on experience with the right software and skills.

Shortly after graduation, Trivedi was put in charge of the hardware department at Kingston’s Select Doors, where he translates customer requirements and schematic diagrams into products the company can ship.

It’s a role that pulls on his unique blend of engineering, project management and supply chain knowledge. He works closely with project managers, manufacturers, installers and others to help ensure customer projects succeed.

Trivedi’s next career step involves pursuing his project management professional certification and continuing to build on his skills and experience for more senior roles.

Working alongside his grandfather and making small repairs around the house as he grew up jumpstarted Bryan Plazarte’s interest in engineering. It also got him thinking about starting his own business and continuing to build his mechanical skills.

He completed formal engineering education in his native Ecuador, and then came to Canada to layer on the business knowledge he would need. Plazarte enrolled at St. Lawrence College, first in international business administration, followed by project management. He now leverages his hands-on skills and business savvy working at Canada Royal Milk, a baby formula plant in Kingston.

Plazarte’s job involves working closely with the plant’s engineers, project managers and other senior leaders as the plant tests formulas, improves its processes, ensures safety and regulatory compliance and completes inspections.

His education has also come in handy as he works across cultures with a team that includes workers and managers from China and South Asia.

Plazarte continues to build on his certifications and experience in preparation for a return to his early entrepreneurial ambitions.

Program: supply chain management and project management at St. Lawrence College

[ 42 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

Program: Project management and business administration at St. Lawrence College

SPONSORED CONTENT

Leanne Rhem

Program: Carpentry at St. Lawrence College Current Job: Owner of Gold & Ginger Studio Leanne Rhem owns and operates a successful art, design, and craft studio, building off the textile skills she developed in university.

As her business grew, she decided she wanted to do some work on her home studio.

Rhem engaged a contractor to help with the framing and electrical work, and spoke to some family who had relevant carpentry skills to finish the job.

As work progressed on the studio, Rhem realized how many similarities there were between her skillset and the carpentry work.

Once work was complete on her studio, she decided to enrol at St. Lawrence College in a carpentry techniques program to further hone her skills.

Rhem has since applied her skills to build a show booth for her business, and plans to transition to carpentry full-time by beginning an apprenticeship this fall. She also intends to use her newfound skills to build her family’s next home.

“It’s never too late to learn,” she said.

“Carpentry is not a skill that will ever go to waste. It's always something that you can use for yourself as well as for employment.”

Mary Reddon

Program: Welding and fabrication technology at St. Lawrence College Current Job: Equipment operator at WITRON It takes a diverse cast to make a play come together, and the same is true of most construction projects.

During the COVID pandemic, Mary Reddon decided to re-cast herself, moving from the entertainment industry to the skilled trades.

She saw the importance of trades in the set construction that was a part of her past life, and relocated to Cornwall to enrol in St. Lawrence College’s Welding and Fabrication Technology program.

Reddon quickly found work that allowed her to keep building on her education, and turned that experience into a fresh opportunity at WITRON, an automation and logistics employer with stronger benefits and a more central location. Mary’s new job is allowing her to continue her studies with a course on electromechanics that will help her secure a promotion.

Reddon encourages students, especially women, considering the trades to seek out scholarships and grants. She was the inaugural recipient of the Melissa Phelan Premier’s Award Bursary at St. Lawrence College.

“There is money on the table from organizations like the Canadian Welding Bureau and welding seems to attract a number of private scholarships sponsored by women in the industry,” Reddon said.

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 43 ]

myfutureis building.ca Bright Futures in Home Building Are Available Right Now

There has never been a better time than right now to start a fulfilling career in the home building and home renovation industry inOttawa.

Women Are a Growing Force 1 in 5 skilled trade workers are women.

Build a better career, build a better life.

Find your home in Ottawa’s homebuilding inductry

Job openings are plentiful, and so are the opportunities for learning and growth.

GET TRAINING

It’s a career where everyone can take great pride in their work.

It’s also a career where people can take home a healthy paycheque while enjoying a robust work‑lifebalance. If you’re the type of person who dreams of owning abusiness, home construction is acareer choice where your dreams can come true.

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FIND A JOB

Many 21st‑century homebuilding careers include working off‑site with innovative technologies that are transforming the industry.

Every career in home construction requires critical thinking, creativity and an unwavering commitment to quality.

Plenty of Jobs Now & for Years to Come

Steady Work All Year Round Career in the homebuilding trades are amongst the most stable of any industry with residential construction projects always happening.

Your Career In Home building Can Take Several Paths • • • • •

straight out of high school community colleges apprenticeships career transitions through special government‑funded training programs.

myfutureis building.ca

LES MÉTIERS SPÉCIALISÉS

SKILLED TRADES

C’EST BIEN PLUS QUE CE QUE TU T’IMAGINES

IT’S MUCH MORE THAN YOU THINK

collegelacite.ca

It’s not limited to hammers and circular saws…

Today, working in skilled trades means being CREATIVE while using NEW TECHNOLOGIES. Ce n’est pas que des marteaux et des scies rondes…

Aujourd’hui, travailler dans les métiers spécialisés, c’est faire preuve de CRÉATIVITÉ tout en utilisant les

NOUVELLES TECHNOLOGIES.

DÉCOUVRE UNE MULTITUDE D’OPTIONS DE CARRIÈRE FASCINANTES, VALORISANTES ET BIEN RÉMUNÉRÉES

• Techniques de la construction et du bâtiment • Technologie de l’architecture • Technologie du génie civil – construction • Technologie du génie électrique • Technologie du génie mécanique • Briqueteur-maçon • Charpentier-menuisier • Électricien – construction et entretien • Mécanicien-monteur industriel • Plombier • Praticien.ne du développement de l’enfant • Régleur-conducteur de machines-outils • Soudage • Systèmes de réfrigération et climatisation • Technicien d’entretien automobile

DISCOVER A WIDE RANGE OF FASCINATING, REWARDING AND WELL-PAYING CAREER OPTIONS

• Architectural Technology • Civil Engineering Technology – Construction • Construction Carpentry Techniques • Electrical Engineering Technology • Mechanical Engineering Technology • Automotive Service Technician • Brick and Stone Mason • Child Development Practitioner • Electrician – Construction and Maintenance • General Carpenter • General Machinist • Industrial Mechanic Millwright • Plumber • Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Systems • Welder

ONE GOAL

MORE THAN ONE WAY TO GET THERE

Post-secondary programs: Enroll in a full-time college program and learn with our cutting-edge equipment and workshops.

Apprenticeship programs: Get paid while you learn and spend most of your time in a work environment.

Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP): For a smooth transition from school to the job market, if you are in grade 11 or 12.

UN OBJECTIF

PLUSIEURS FAÇONS D’Y ARRIVER

Programmes postsecondaires : Inscris-toi dans un programme collégial à temps plein et apprends à l’aide de nos équipements et ateliers de pointe.

Programmes d’apprentissage : Sois payé tout en apprenant et passe la plupart de ton temps en milieu de travail.

Programme d’apprentissage pour les jeunes de l’Ontario (PAJO) : Pour une transition simple entre l’école et le marché du travail, si tu es en 11e ou 12e année.

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Performance Plus launching their own mentorship program in the new year “PPRC Connect” will put people with disabilities and more on the pathway to success

F

or years, Performance Plus Rehabilitative Care (PPRC) has been making career mentorship matches for people with disabilities through the MentorAbility program, an initiative of the Canadian Association for Supported Employment that promotes the recruitment, employment, and retention of people experiencing disability.

“We’ve conducted 54 mentorship matches since 2020 and expect to be closer to 60 at the end of the year,” said Linda Simpson, PPRC’s director of rehabilitation.

Since PPRC will no longer have the operational funding to support the MentorAbility project after Ontario’s Employment Services Transformation puts a new funding model into effect, Simpson and her team found a way to continue offering the service.

“In January, job seekers will be able to visit the PPRC Connect website and self-refer as a potential Ontario client,” said Simpson. Service providers will be able to charge for some of the cost to the systems managers under the new model.

A key benefit of the new integrated employment program is that applicants won’t need to have a disability to be eligible.

PPRC’S BEST PRACTICES FOR CAREER MENTORSHIP

Mentorship is an incredibly useful tool for helping people without connections or a network explore a field they want to pursue.

“We connect young people who want to explore a career path to an employer for a virtual meeting, or a half or full day on site.”

It sounds simple enough, but that’s due to the best practices PPRC has developed over the years.

Danica Frappier, intern and Claudia Kanziza, rehabilitation consultant “We help clients identify the right career path by uncovering their field of interest,” said Simpson. “Then we seek out organizations that offer those types of jobs.”

Next, they provide information to the mentor about the mentee’s abilities and discuss any accommodation needs.

Over the years, PPRC has helped hundreds of people using this formula.

They’ve even matched a few clients to a mentor with the same disability.

“We had a client with vision loss who was interested in the Public Service,” said Simpson. “We matched them to someone within Health Canada who also had vision loss.”

“CAREER DEVELOPMENT CHANGES EVERYTHING”

November is career month, and this year’s North American theme is “Career development changes everything.”

For people with disabilities, the biggest change is being lifted out of poverty.

Simpson can tell story after story attesting to that fact. “We had a neurodivergent client whose grocery store job wasn’t a great fit,” she said.

“We placed him with a mentor at Fieldless Farms and he was offered a position by the end of the day.”

Even if a mentee doesn’t get a job offer on the spot, what they do get is

inside information. “Mentors often tell mentees what to put on their resume and which skills they should highlight when applying for jobs,” said Simpson.

Using the PPRC preparation-is-key formula, mentors leave the experience wanting to support more people. With that kind of success, expanding the program makes sense.

“Now we can also help newcomers, retirees, people who are underemployed, or youth coming out of the foster care system,” said Simpson.

Recently, her team helped a professional from Iran who was educated in Canada to undertake a mentorship with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. This gave them the courage to pursue a two-year federal government internship program for Canadians with disabilities.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR MENTORSHIP A SUCCESS

The first thing Simpson and her team look for in a mentee is someone who’s expressed an interest in wanting to work.

In mentors, they’re looking for employers who want to be more inclusive.

Simpson says employers who come to her with an open mind will leave the experience knowing they’ve contributed to somebody’s career path.

It’s a good feeling.

Eastern Ontario

NEXT What career is for you?

With a view to expanding STUFF’s focus, we look at other careers that are possible and in demand in the region.

Inside, meet • A biotech researcher • A personal support worker • A federal civil servant • A software developer

Science: a single-minded focus

Program: Doctor of philosophy at the University of Ottawa

Current Job: VP of research and development at Cryostasis Sebastian Hadjiantoniou’s educational journey had one goal: becoming a scientist.

He completed a bachelor of science in biology, a master’s degree in neuroscience and returned to Canada to round out his education with a PhD in cellular biology.

“Many students who really like science think ‘I'm just gonna do that’ and they finish their studies and realize there are whole other skillsets they will need to be valuable in the marketplace, especially if they want to lead,” Hadjiantoniou notes.

Hadjiantoniou was one of those “science-only” students until he experienced the startup life. The lab where he had been conducting research was known for generating entrepreneurs and spin-off companies. He tried his hands at business through a company called Spiderwort Inc., and leveraged that experience to co-found his own company, Incuvers, in 2018.

“Entrepreneurship had never even occurred to me as I started my studies, and now I’ve been entrenched in the entrepreneurial world for several years,” he says. “I leaned towards my natural skillsets and inclinations and that far better aligned with entrepreneurship.”

Between COVID and difficulties in identifying a value proposition, Incuvers didn’t take off. Still, it was a learning opportunity for Hadjiantoniou, and that experience was valued by several other companies and organizations. Today, he’s a vice-president of CryoStasis, a company that is helping extend the preservation of harvested organs and cells, and a mentor with Innovation Gatineau.

“My strategy towards finding employment was about finding companies that I wanted to work for, and identifying whether I could bring value,” he says. “About 10 months into my search, I was introduced to CryoStasis and the opportunity came full circle for me because my business

was about mildly warming things and [CryoStasis is about] mildly cooling things. Thanks to my pretty niche skillset, I joined as a consultant and I was later approached about becoming VP of research and development. The match was really, really perfect.”

Hadjiantoniou’s advice for others unsure about where their educational journey will take them is to explore their interests, carefully consider companies they could work for and speak to those who either have the job they might want or can help them get there.

“It's valuable to identify whether you want startup life or industry life,” he said. “Do you like chaos?

Can you handle different types of problems and responsibilities you may get with the startup life? Are you willing to take on the risk and, of course, the lower pay up front, for the benefit of gaining significantly more experience?”

“I'm biased,” he added. “I'm always pro-startup.”

Fast Facts: New businesses per year in Canada: 101,324 (2015-2019 average, Statistics Canada) Canadian entrepreneurs: 3.5 million (Startup Canada) Health-care tech jobs posted in May 2021: 60,000 (Information and Communications Technology Council) How long a kidney can survive using CryoStasis’ technology: Seven days (CryoStasis.ca) Helpful skills: Leadership, resilience, time management, adaptability, curiosity [ 50 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

Canadians employed by small businesses:

8.4 million (ISED)

Photo credit: Mark Holleron

I leaned towards my natural skillsets and inclinations and that far better aligned with entrepreneurship.

Photo credit: Mike Carroccetto

I found that if something is interesting to me, I will put the effort in and I will do well in it.

Finding a fit in the tech world Program: Bachelor of commerce at Carleton University and a diploma in web development and internet applications at Algonquin College Current Job: Software developer at Nokia

We all know someone who doesn’t see themselves as a “techy” person.

Sukayna Dawd was one of them.

That’s why, following high school, she enrolled at Carleton University in a commerce program.

school for another four years.

That’s when she remembered her computer science elective course at Carleton where she learned the Python programming language.

complemented her existing Python and Java knowledge with several other languages and more hands-on co-op experiences, including eight months at Nokia’s Ottawa operations.

“My program included a co-op placement and, when I started working in that field, it kind of hit me that it wasn't really what I was super excited about or what I really wanted to do,” she admitted.

“Even though people were telling me ‘this is such a hard class and you should be taking easy electives,’ I enjoyed it and I did well in it and I found that if something is interesting to me, I will put the effort in and I will do well in it,” she says.

Once she graduated, she reached back out to her manager. Shortly afterward, Sukayna was offered a position as a junior developer. Her day-to-day responsibilities include debugging existing Nokia products and working with user experience designers to develop new features.

While the world of business featured a lot of grey, she wanted something that was more black and white. Her search started with engineering, but Dawd was not interested in going back to

After considering a master’s degree, she found a two-year program at Algonquin College focused on web development and internet applications. The program

“It can be easy to think that it's not for you, but if you really take small steps, there's no loss in trying that,” she says.

“The worst thing that could happen is you drop the course or get a tutor.”

Fast Facts: Median wage: $40.38/hr (Canada Job Bank) Ontario employment outlook: Positive (Canada Job Bank) Employment shortage to last until 2031: (ESDC – Federal Government) Unemployment rate: Two per cent (Statistics Canada, April 2023)

Percentage of fully remote work for software developers:

60

(Terminal.io)

Helpful skills: Problem-solving, creativity, curiosity, time management STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 53 ]

The upsides of the public service Program: Bachelor of commerce at University of Ottawa Current Job: Financial analyst at the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (Government of Canada)

Alex Buchanan saw herself working in the private sector, like many of her family members.

She left her hometown of Belleville and came to the University of Ottawa so she could continue her French education while pursuing a bachelor of commerce degree.

During her studies, Buchanan had a co-op experience working with the federal government in the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), a department that provides recommendations to the Treasury Board on how to spend government money. Buchanan’s specific role was with a team dedicated to financial management community development, an initiative that helps build, attract and sustain employees with financial experience within the federal government.

She stayed on part-time throughout the rest of her university studies and, upon graduation, was hired full-time by the TBS through the financial officer recruitment and development (FORD) program that she previously helped run. Between 2019 and 2022, she completed three finance rotations before returning to her original department and a job that engages her love of learning and helping people. Buchanan remains a big fan of the FORD program, which helps prospective new hires gain entry-level finance experience in the government and their chartered professional accountant (CPA) designation.

“I find with my team, there's always something new I can work on,” she says. “I get to see different worlds of finance and understand more how government works. Government in general has a great work-life balance.

It has competitive salaries and all you

want to know is available online.”

Buchanan notes that her team operates several development programs catered to each level of finance. She’s currently working to relaunch a program for mid-career workers called the advanced financial officer development program. She also recommends students interested in trying out federal government work look at federal student work experience program.

“My favourite part of my job is the events — particularly student recruitment events,” she says. “We often go to different student events through the University of Ottawa, Carleton or other schools throughout Canada where we can. There are huge benefits to working for an employer that has a larger purpose. Ultimately everything we do is to help Canadians and people within our country.”

Fast Facts: Median wage: $37.02 (Canada Job Bank) Required qualifications: Bachelor’s degree and, usually, a CFA designation Ontario employment outlook: Positive (Canada Job Bank) Unemployment rate: 2.5 per cent (Statistics Canada, April 2023) Helpful skills: Discretion, communication, flexibility, teamwork, organization [ 54 ] stuffmadeandbuilt.ca

Anticipated number of federal employees in 2027:

409,000 (Government of Canada)

Photo credit: Mark Holleron

Ultimately everything we do is to help Canadians and people within our country.

Photo credit: Jana Chytilova

My mom was a PSW and getting to hear her stories inspired me to become a PSW myself.

A crisis shapes a career Program: Personal support worker at St. Lawrence College Current Job: Personal Support Worker (PSW) at Rosemount Retirement Residence

During the height of the pandemic, there was a growing need for more health-care workers to cover for sick staff members, meet the greater needs that come with a higher patient load as well as more stringent infectious disease protocols and offset retirements and departures from the field. The large-scale medical crisis that was COVID-19 met with an already brewing challenge in health care.

To keep hospitals, retirement residences and long-term care homes running, colleges such as St. Lawrence launched rapid retraining programs that attracted learners such as Brittany Ramataursingh.

“My mom was a PSW and getting to hear her stories inspired me to become a PSW myself,” she says.

“I enrolled at St. Lawrence, was accepted, completed a six-month

accelerated program and began working shortly after.”

Her program focused on physiology, psychology, mental health, care approaches and palliative care, and included a week of hands-on learning as well as an eight-week placement at a nearby long-term care facility.

Upon completion of the program, Ramataursingh had her choice of workplace options and ended up working at an area retirement residence.

“The program was structured more specifically for long-term care, so it prepared us for a more integrated level of care because people in longterm care have a lot of health needs, whether it be mobility or cognitive concerns or devices such as oxygen or feeding tubes,” she says. “Having a more in-depth theoretical knowledge has been really helpful.”

A typical day for Ramataursingh might include helping her clients get out of bed for the day, ensuring they take their medication, assisting them in getting cleaned and ready and any other daily activities they might not be able to complete on their own. Depending on the setting, PSWs may be called upon to help with feeding, housekeeping, laundry and companionship for their clients.

Having now worked as a PSW for nearly two years, a job she continues to enjoy, Ramataursingh is now looking to continue her education by completing a nursing program.

“Working as a PSW is a position that will help you push out of your comfort zone and become more confident and comfortable as you work with older people and gain their respect,” she says. “It can be intimidating, but it is a skill that can be developed.”

Fast Facts: Hourly wage: $19 an hour average in Ontario (Statistics Canada) Ontario employment outlook: Very positive (Canada Job Bank) Percentage of Canadians who want to age in place: 90 (IPSOS) Percentage of PSWs who are full-time: 60 Helpful skills: Empathy, patience, critical thinking, maturity, flexibility

Number of PSW jobs listed in Ottawa in September 2023:

More than

350 (Indeed)

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 57 ]

Join our healthcare team and make a difference every day Are you passionate about making a positive impact on people's lives? Join our healthcare company and be a part of a team dedicated to providing top-notch patient care and improving well-being.

WE’RE HIRING RIGHT NOW We are hiring urgently in all categories: registered nurses, registered practical nurses, personal support workers, home support workers and companions.

NEW TO THE INDUSTRY, NO EXPERIENCE? GEM offers comprehensive on-the-job training training programs for prospective employees new to healthcare interested in working as home support workers or companions. GEM is considered an essential service and provides all the proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) required for employees.

JOIN OUR FAMILY GEM is a full-service health care company, privately owned and operated by a Canadian family. Ottawa, Ontario.

Gaye E. Moffett RN, B.Sc.N., M.Ed.(Admin) Founder, President and CEO

GEM Health Care Services Services de Santé GEM

For more information go to www.gemhealthcare.com

Our Family for Yo Notre famille au

PRIVATE HEALTH CARE SERVICES

GEM HEALTH CARE SERVICES WHO WE ARE GEM is a full-service health care company, privately owned and operated by a Canadian family. GEM’s team of trained professionals offer a wide range of personalized services across Ottawa and in the Eastern Ontario communities of Perth and Lanark county, as well in Newmarket in the GTA.

Our employees appreciate the variety of assignments and flexibility we offer so they can structure their own workdays to suit their schedule and achieve work life balance.

WHAT SERVICES DO YOU OFFER?

An industry leader, GEM addresses a wide range of needs for clients, their families and institutions. We help with private and government-funded home care, respite care for aging seniors, postpartum care, hospital and retirement home relief staffing, foot care, workplace health and wellness clinics, homemaking services and more. Our team of registered nurses, registered practical nurses, personal support workers, home support workers and companions take great pride in providing compassionate care to clients of all ages.

WHAT IS THE CULTURE AT YOUR COMPANY? Yours®After thirty years, our motto – ‘our family ® service de la– vôtre for yours’ is as true now as it ever was.

Our caregivers – many of whom have been with us for years – enjoy providing customized support, utilizing their sought-after skills and specialized

WE ARE HIRING: • registered nurses,

training to meet individual, corporate and community needs in many different settings.

• registered practical nurses,

WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR CAREER ADVANCEMENT?

• personal support workers,

Our company is fully-certified offering stability, plus paid, in-house “train up” programs with paid clinical placements to allow our team members to grow their skills. In addition, GEM encourages and supports employees to access government-funded bridging programs for further career advancement.

• home support workers • companions.

GEM Health Care Services Suite 304-383 Parkdale Ave, Ottawa, ON K1Y 4R4 gemhealthcare.com/

GEM Health Care Services Services de Santé GEM

Our Family for Yours® Notre famille au service de la vôtre®

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 59 ]

SPONSORED CONTENT

Get Hiring Help

With These Local Immigration Strategies

SPONSORED CONTENT

O

ntario East is experiencing a time of exciting growth and recovering rapidly from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but despite that, our region continues to experience labour challenges (and opportunities). Immigration is the key to solving this problem and filling this shortage. You work hard to create a healthy and happy workplace for your team and Ontario East stakeholders are doing the same for the region as a whole by creating strategies to promote immigration to Ontario East. Read on to learn about how you’ll get hiring help from these local immigration strategies.

Local Immigration Strategies for Newcomer Attraction and Retention

• improving the most critical factor for immigrants: economic security The Centre for Workforce Development Trenval, the City of Belleville, City of Quinte West, County of Hastings, the Corporation of the County of Prince Edward County, County of Lennox and Addington, Quinte Economic Development Commission, and the Bay of Quinte Marketing Board have also created the Quinte and Area Regional Rural Immigration Strategy.

Read it here: Eastern Ontario Immigrant Attraction and Retention Strategy (French: Stratégie d’attraction et de maintien des immigrants dans l’Est de l’Ontario).

Read the Quinte and Area Regional Rural Immigration Strategy now.

The local immigration strategy will provide specific evidence-based recommendations to solve current workforce problems and encourage long-term economic growth and social prosperity in the region.

The counties and cities identified these factors as contributing to the “profound demographic shift” leading to the labour shortage: • an aging workforce • youth emigration from the region • declining birth rates • accelerated retirement

The County of Renfrew, the County of Lanark, the City of Ottawa, the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry Counties, and the United Counties of Prescott and Russell published the Eastern Ontario Immigrant Attraction and Retention Strategy.

The strategy marks the first time these counties came together to address this critical regional challenge with a coordinated approach. Along with the City of Ottawa, the counties sought community consultation to answer questions like: WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO ENTRY FACED BY IMMIGRANTS? Some identified barriers include: • finding adequate employment • language barriers • the importance employers place on “Canadian experience” in the workforce • racism and discrimination • adequate transportation • safe housing WHAT IS THE PATH FORWARD? The vision for this local immigration strategy for a path toward a newcomer based workforce includes: • building an equitable, inclusive, and welcoming community • involving newcomers as key players in this strategy

Through community outreach and research, the region has identified 4 objectives to attract and retain immigrants to mitigate the labour shortage currently experienced: Prepare: stakeholders work together to plan, coordinate, and take action.

See: ensure immigrants recognize the vast economic and community opportunities available to them within the region, matching their skills, education, and preferences.

Act: ensure immigrants become familiar and comfortable with their potential new community.

Stay: ensure immigrants feel a sense of belonging in the region, through “meaningful, self-defined participation in the community”.

Find great work close to home in the manufacturing job market.

Visit the Ontario East Economic Development Commission’s website www.ontarioeast.ca to learn more about the high quality of life in eastern Ontario.

Build a Robust Workforce, Hire International Students

Ideas and innovation flourish in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Where Ontario began Some of the best cheese in the world is Not only are Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Counties (SDG Counties) home to some of Canada’s earliest settlements; they’ve also been a remarkable innovation hub for almost two centuries, ever since the Loyalists arrived in the area. In sectors such as agriculture, agri-food, manufacturing and more, discoveries, inventions and products made here are known around the world.

The Lactalis plant in Winchester, North Dundas, is Canada’s largest cheese making facility, employing over 400 people to manufacture products under the Cracker Barrel, Black Diamond, Balderson brands, to name just a few.

Muir’s Bakery in North Glengarry is Ontario and Western Quebec’s source of quality haggis and Scottish meat pies. The almost 100 year old business is located in Maxville, home of the largest annual Highland Games gathering in North America.

North Dundas’ Fortier Stark Industrial fabricates stainless steel manufacturing facilities for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. There are only a handful of such businesses in North America so Fortier Stark is filling a niche market at home and around the world.

Dr. Mahlon W. Locke (1880-1942) Credited as the father of Chiropractic medicine, this South Dundas native was a foot specialist who diversified his Williamsburg, ON practice.

With a world-wide reputation for results, he treated hundreds of patients daily, helping bring significant prosperity to the region.

made in Lancaster, South Glengarry at Margaret Peters-Morris’ Glengarry Fine Cheese. This small operation regularly wins top global cheese awards, recently garnering 5 gold medals for its exceptional products. It also serves as a stellar ambassador for SDG Counties’ thriving dairy sector.

From its tiny roots in Canada’s North, South Stormont’s Igloo Building Supplies has evolved into a major supplier of prefabricated housing components delivered worldwide. They’re a one-stop-shop – creating, packaging, and shipping worldwide over highways, ice roads, and oceans.

At Newbrabant Farms in South Glengarry, dairy farmers Peter Sommers and Melanie Trottier completed an extensive $7-million expansion that includes two new barns, an innovative sand-manure separator and the largest rotary parlour in Ontario with capacity to milk up to 1,400 cows.

South Stormont is home to Wills Transfer’s new $25 million distribution centre in Ingleside. The 155,000 square foot warehouse in a prime location on Highway 401 is already set for expansion. It’s another success story for a firm that’s been a leader in logistics since 1945.

Sometimes called the national fruit of Canada, the McIntosh apple was discovered in South Dundas in 1811 by farmer John McIntosh, who found seedlings while clearing his land. Since the 1880s, the McIntosh has consistently remained one of the top 10 apples sold in North America.

In North Stormont, Moose Creek Precast is a family-owned and operated precast concrete company. Founded in 1950, it’s one of Eastern Ontario’s oldest precast companies, offering a wide range of top quality concrete products and precast concrete supplies across the region.

For more information visit www.madeinsdg.ca and youtube.com/@MadeInSDG and facebook.com/SDGCounties

Jobs and Careers Looking for a stable career with great pay?

Check out the following pages for these world-class companies located right in your backyard.

Central Precast Ross Video

64

3M CANADA

72

66 Pure Ingenuity Inc 68 M CON 70

r e e r Ca

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 63 ]

At Central Precast, we are constantly exploring innovative ways to leverage precast concrete solutions to address our customers' most demanding needs. This is why we place such a strong emphasis on investing in our team—our ability to deliver exceptional solutions is directly linked to the expertise of our workforce. We have cultivated a close-knit, familial atmosphere within a forward-thinking work environment, empowering our employees to challenge conventional approaches and strive for the utmost quality in our products.

When you choose to join Central Precast, you can expect to receive top-notch training, ongoing support for your personal development, and a clearly defined pathway for professional advancement. We are continuously seeking out individuals who embody the qualities of teamwork, positivity, motivation, and a genuine enthusiasm for learning.

CONTACT US NOW TO APPLY CENTRALPRECAST.COM

Whatever your role is, you get to be part of a winning team creating the highest quality precast concrete products.

We have positions for: • Carpenters • Skilled Labourers • Precast Erectors • Concrete Finishers • Sandblasters • Welders

MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION

CENTRAL PRECAST WHO WE ARE For over 65 years, Central Precast has been a leading manufacturer of precast concrete products, from concrete infrastructure to unique aesthetic solutions. Central Precast is also the largest and most diversified dealer of landscaping and masonry products in Eastern Ontario.

We build teams and trust through honest relationships, responsible actions and hard work.

WHAT WE MAKE

Modular buildings, architectural, insulated and structural precast panels, bleachers, site furnishings (planters, benches, bollards, parking curbs, pillars and columns, tree grates, waste and fence systems), custom signs and custom products. We are a dealer of landscape and masonry products.

OUR TOP CUSTOMERS

We work directly with public and private sectors in the general construction industry such as the City of Ottawa, National Capital Commission (NCC), Enbridge Gas, EllisDon, PCL, Broccolini, Bird, HEIN, Minto Group, Mattamy Homes and Uniform Urban Developments.

OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE

Fast-paced work environment, which focuses on ensuring our people have the proper training and support to have a fulfilling career and go home safe each

evening. We are committed to inclusion, maximizing differences and giving back both locally and globally.

CAREER ADVANCEMENT

We strive to empower the future generation of leaders, building a long rewarding career for our employees. We value our employees, this has been proven with many employees who have been with us for 20, 25, and 50-plus years.

Central Precast 25 Bongard Ave. Ottawa, ON 613-225-9510 centralprecast.com

BENEFITS & PERKS • Company events and food truck days • Financial bonuses and milestone awards • Dental benefits • Drug benefits • Eye-care benefits • Retirement plan/ RRSP contributions • Three or more weeks of vacation time • Casual dress code • Free parking • Life insurance STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 65 ]

LIVE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING

ROSS VIDEO WHO WE ARE Ross technology is behind everything associated with live broadcasting, from the world’s biggest sport events to leading news programs. If you’re watching a sports event, the jumbo screen at a concert or an international crisis unfolding on the news – chances are, you’re seeing Ross technology in action.

Ross is a family owned company that treats its workforce as an extended family. We are a diverse, inclusive, and supportive group of professionals who truly care about one another.

WHAT WE MAKE

Ross Video designs, manufactures, and delivers advanced technology and services that power live video productions. This includes switchers, robotic camera systems, routing systems, LED screens, video servers, and more. We also offer creative services, including broadcast graphics, animation, arena displays, virtual sets, and augmented reality.

OUR TOP CUSTOMERS

Here’s a partial list: NBC Sports, HyperX E-sports Arena, RedBull Media, ESPN/ Disney, Eurosport, SoFi Stadium, BBC World, Google YouTube Space London, Nokia Arena, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and China’s eSports powerhouse VSPN. Our client solutions have won us three Emmy Awards!

OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE

At Ross, we have an open and collaborative people-first culture. We are proud to be the first-ever certified Canadian Compassionate Company (CCC). We are

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES • Surface Mount Technology Operators

focused on taking care of our people and being a CCC is a big part of what makes Ross a great place to work.

• Electronics Test Technicians

CAREER ADVANCEMENT

• Electronics Assembly Tester

Ross provides educational assistance, extensive training, and mentoring so that our employees continuously evolve their skills and move up in the organization.

Employees are encouraged to explore other career paths within Ross, and we strive to have cross-training opportunities wherever possible.

Ross Video

8 John Street, Iroquois Ontario rossvideo.com/company/careers Cathy McCallion cmccallion@rossvideo.com 613 228-1198 ext. 4229

• PCB (Printed Circuit Board) Assemblers • Supply Chain Management • Process Development Engineers/ Technicians • New Product Introduction Specialists • Manufacturing Engineers and Technologists • Test Development Engineers and Technologists Ross offers generous benefits and paid time off. Benefits include (but are not limited to) matched RRSP contributions, medical and dental, short and longterm disability, Employee Assistance Program, Employee Ownership Options, and a wellness/fitness allowance.

The Ross manufacturing team has great social activities and employee appreciation events. These team builders are important to us, as this is when memories and connections are made.

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 67 ]

Solve. Design. Deliver.

At Pure Ingenuity, customers rely upon us to solve their manufacturing problems. We design and create custom process equipment for the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and fine chemical sectors.

pureingenuity.com

We are honoured to support and work with world-renowned artists like sculptor Bill Lishman, fabricating and installing his colossal metal iceberg sculpture for the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa.

Engineering Services + Precision Fabrication + Installation & Service

DESIGN AND MANUFACTURING

PURE INGENUITY

EQUIPMENT DESIGN AND FABRICATION GROUP

WHO WE ARE Pure Ingenuity is a Kingston-based engineering and fabrication company. We work in stainless steel, high-performance alloys, aluminum, plastics and carbon fibre composites.

Customers come to us with their unique manufacturing issues and we solve, design and deliver the products they require to meet the needs of their customers.

Everyone on the team takes great pride in what we can accomplish together. - Emily Hutchinson, Operations Manager WHAT WE MAKE

To meet the specific needs of each client, we design and manufacture high-quality, custom process equipment such as tanks, conveyors, process skids and mixing equipment, for a wide range of industries.

OUR TOP CUSTOMERS

Our top customers are food, beverage, and pharmaceutical manufacturers in Eastern Ontario, across Canada and around the world.

OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE

Our workplace culture is collaborative and fast-paced. We focus on forging an effective partnership with each customer to develop innovative solutions. As a team of engineers and tradespeople, our primary focus is always on creating the best products possible in an energetic and fun environment..

CAREER ADVANCEMENT

Pure Ingenuity fabricators receive hands-on, on-the-job training in an apprenticeshiplike system. We have roles for people from various backgrounds including engineering, welding, fabrication and mechanical technology. Employees have ample opportunities to advance as they learn new skills and take on responsibility.

We value both technical and soft skills and our setting is dynamic and entrepreneurial.

JOB PERKS • • • •

Dental benefits Vision benefits Free parking Drug coverage and paramedical services • Monthly staff lunches

Pure Ingenuity 665 Development Dr Kingston, ON 613-389-3335 Pureingenuity.com

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 69 ]

LEADERS IN PRECAST CONCRETE mconproducts.com INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS SINCE 1989. mconproducts.com

Proudly serving Eastern, Central and Northern Ontario.

Manufacturers sustainable precast LEADERS INofPRECAST CONCRETE LEADERS IN PRECAST CONCRETEand INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS SINCE 1989. concrete infrastructure products solutions.

INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCTS SINCE 1989.

T CONCRETE RODUCTS SINCE 1989.

roducts.com

mconproducts.com

Proudly serving Eastern, Central and Northern Ontario.

Proudly serving Eastern, Proudly serving Eastern, Central and Northern Ontario.

Central and Northern Ontario.

PART OF THE PRECAST GROUP OF COMPANIES. Visit ThePrecastGroup.com OF THE PRECAST OF COMPANIES. APART Division of The GROUP Precast Group. Visit ThePrecastGroup.com

PART OF THE PRECAST GROUP OF COMPANIES. Visit ThePrecastGroup.com

MANUFACTURING & DISTRIBUTION

M CON PRODUCTS WHO WE ARE

F COMPANIES. Visit ThePrecastGroup.com

M CON Products is a local and family owned, industrial manufacturing facility that was founded in 1989 with roots dating back to 1956. Established in Ottawa, we serve Eastern, Northern, and Central Ontario.

We offer job stability, and a place to build a successful career.

WHAT WE MAKE

Our precast concrete products include reinforced circular and elliptical concrete pipe, circular and box maintenance holes, catch basins, box culverts, oil grit separators and gravity retaining wall systems.

TOP CUSTOMERS

We serve clients of all sizes. We believe that building a solid relationship with a small contractor just starting out will help them grow their business, just as many large customers today have helped us do after all these years.

Some of our larger customers are Cavanagh Construction, Taggart Construction, Tomlinson, Robert Excavating, and Gordan Barr

OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE

We have implemented 7S lean manufacturing and an everybody matters approach to manufacturing.

We believe that putting your people first will contribute to a more satisfied workforce, improve quality, and expand our customer base.

CAREER ADVANCEMENT

As we continue to grow our manufacturing facility and operations, we strive to invest in highly skilled professionals who approach each request with a fresh perspective. By implementing a progressive mentorship program, milestone recognition, and conducting scheduled reviews with a development plan, we foster a culture that values continuous growth and improvement.

M CON Products

2150 Richardson Side Rd. Ottawa, ON K0A 1L0 Canada www.mconproducts.com hr@mconproducts.com

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES OPEN POSITIONS: Office – Salaried • Operations Manager • Quality Control Manager

Plant - hourly/union • Forklift Operator • General Labour • Industrial Millwright • Skilled Labourer

BENEFITS • Group Insurance; Medical, Vision, Health, plus more • Retirement Savings Plans • Annual Bonus STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 71 ]

Become a change maker.

Become part of the team that uses science to help solve some of the world’s toughest challenges.

Apply to 3M today at Careers | 3M Canada.

3M, 3M Science. Applied to Life. and Scotch-Brite are trademarks of 3M. Used under license in Canada. © 2022, 3M. All rights reserved. 2208-24638-E

MANUFACTURING

3M CANADA WHO WE ARE At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve our homes, businesses and lives across Canada and around the world. We produce over 55,000 different products from personal protective equipment to automotive to electronics. You’re never more than 10 feet away from 3M Science.

3Mers are known for being problem solvers and making an impact by giving back to the communities where they live and work.

- Penny Wise, President, 3M Canada

WHAT WE MAKE

We manufacture products that meet everyday needs including cleaning products like Scotch-Brite TM Brand sponges and lint rollers. We produce tapes and adhesives used in construction and home improvement, industrial, automotive, and other industries. We also recently opened a new manufacturing plant in Brockville that produces N95 respirators to help protect Canadian healthcare and industrial workers.

OUR TOP CUSTOMERS

Our safety and industrial products are used to help protect workers in construction and industrial settings. Our health care products are used to help improve patient outcomes in hospitals and health care settings. Our consumer products like Post-It ® Notes, and Scotch TM Brand tapes are used in homes and offices across Canada.

safe, engaged and are free to bring their authentic selves to work each day. Engaging in our communities is an important aspect of what we do.

Opportunities to give to others and learn fuels are passion to improve every life.

CAREER ADVANCEMENT

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES 1. Production Operator

At 3M, you are rewarded for your efforts.

The more you contribute to 3M’s success, the more success you create for yourself.

3M has created a manufacturing hub in eastern Ontario with multiple locations and products, opening pathways for career growth, new opportunities and advancement to leadership roles.

2. Production Supervisor

3M Canada

4. Maintenance

2 Craig St., Perth, ON 60 California Ave. Brockville, ON 3MCanada.ca

3. Skilled Trades opportunities and apprenticeships

5. Engineering

OUR WORKPLACE CULTURE We strive to create an inclusive environment where employees feel

STUFF Magazine 2023/2024 [ 73 ]

SPONSORED CONTENT

Give your family and career room to breathe From manufacturing to logistics and food processing, Cornwall's employers are hungry for talent.

C

ornwall is a thriving Eastern Ontario city that has evolved from its United Empire Loyalist roots into a modern economy anchored by forwardthinking companies.

But it has one pressing challenge — a lack of people.

“There are simply more jobs than people — we’ve never seen anything like it,” says Bob Peters, division manager at Cornwall Economic Development. “Job opportunities are coming fast and furious and span a variety of occupations, skillsets and experience levels.”

Cornwall’s challenges are a result of

successful efforts over the past 15 years to attract new investment. The city’s strategic location — in addition to low electricity rates, affordable commercial land and low housing costs — have created one of the strongest economies in Ontario.

A growing hub for multinational companies

Today, Cornwall is a growing hub for warehousing, transportation and logistics as well as the light industrial and manufacturing activities that have always been its mainstay. Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart and the Benson Group operate large

Cornwall offers young people a chance to enjoy life while they are building a career. It is a great city to call home, with an amazing river lifestyle and progressive employment opportunities.” GUY ROBICHAUD, PRESIDENT, LAMINACORR • Laminacorr started in Cornwall in 1998 with just a few employees. Today, it has over 80 employees and has grown to become the largest independent corrugated plastic products manufacturer in North America. It is recognized as one of Canada’s fastest-growing companies. For Guy Robichaud, choosing Cornwall is all about lifestyle.

10 REASONS TO WORK, LIVE AND PLAY IN CORNWALL 1 Housing prices among the most affordable in Ontario 2 Wide variety of employment opportunities 3 The amenities of a big city, without the headaches 4 A bilingual and multicultural community distribution centres, while Olymel and Leclerc have established state-of-the-art food processing facilities.

These and a host of other employers in the area now find themselves in dire need of talent to fill vacancies that include skilled tradespeople, health-care professionals, truckers, managers, supervisors and technicians.

For Peters and his team, it’s vital to reach recent graduates, newcomers to Canada and anyone else looking for a change from big city living.

“Cornwall offers the chance to raise a family without having to worry about a

crippling mortgage or dealing with a long commute every day,” Peters says. “Our employers are creating opportunities to build careers and advance in growing sectors of our economy.”

A list of current employment opportunities can be found on ChooseCornwall.ca.

5 Hundreds of acres of scenic waterfront parks with dedicated recreational trails 6 A vibrant arts scene along with top-notch shopping and dining 7 Excellent schools, including St. Lawrence College and skills training programs 8 A full-service community hospital and modern health-care services 9 Public transit, 400-series highway, daily inter-city bus and rail service 10 Modern fitness facilities, organized sports, world-class golf