‘More than just the turning of soil’: $9.8M boost to help build millwright training centre in Port Hope
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‘A world-class training facility where careers begin, skills are mastered and futures are built’
By editor/reporter Sarah Hyatt
Led by the UBC Millwright Local 2309, construction is officially underway on a new state-of-the-art millwright training centre in the Port Hope Business Park on Henderson Street.
Local 2309, the Millwright Regional Council (MRC), project partners, dignitaries, and elected officials – including Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development and Northumberland-Peterborough South MPP David Piccini – gathered Aug. 20, 2026, for the official ground-breaking ceremony, where Piccini also announced a provincial injection of $9.8 million through the Skills Development Fund capital stream to support the new centre and next generation of millwrights.
The new facility is supposed to help protect and train about 2,550 workers, apprentices and journeypersons with in-demand careers over the next five years, strengthening Ontario’s skilled trades workforce and protecting workers in energy, manufacturing and industrial sectors, according to provincial officials.
“Today is the day – the day that many of us have dreamed about for years,” said John Baker, business manager of UBC Millwright Local 2309, as a massive crowd gathered to mark the milestone and official ground-breaking for Local 2309’s “brand-new, 44,000-square-foot, custom-built, state-of-the-art training centre.”
The training centre has been in the making for years, with related industrial land sale purchases at the Municipality of Port Hope level reported publicly back in late 2020.
But last week’s gathering was about much more than a ground-breaking ceremony.
“This is far more than just a building,” said Baker. “It represents an investment in our people.
“It represents an investment in the skilled trades, and it represents an investment in the future of Ontario’s workforce. On these grounds, future generations of millwrights will learn their craft, using some of the most advanced technologies available.
“Apprentices will train on modern, industrial equipment and journeypersons will continue to upgrade their skills as our industries rapidly evolve. Employers will know when they hire members of Millwright Local 2309 and the MRC that they are hiring the most trained, highly-skilled and safest workforce anywhere in North America.”
The facility has been made possible through members’ unwavering commitment, ongoing collaboration and project partners who recognize the importance of investing in the skilled trades, ceremony attendees heard.
While Baker had a lengthy list to thank and credit, he noted the support from those such as the province and MRC means this facility will ensure workers develop the skills needed to power Ontario’s future for generations to come.
“Years from now, people will walk in this building without knowing the challenges that came before us,” Baker also noted. “They won’t remember the permits, they won’t remember the delays, (and) they won’t remember the obstacles.
“They’ll simply see a world-class training facility where careers begin, skills are mastered and futures are built, and that’s exactly as it should be.”
And the opportunities for young persons and apprentices are supposed to be abundant – and meant to serve as lifelong careers.
To be precise, this will be a 44,986-square-foot training centre, which will include specialized training spaces and classrooms where workers can gain hands-on critical millwright skills that employers need under welding, rigging, alignment and industrial maintenance.
The centre will also help with industry-recognized certifications in areas like working at heights, in confined spaces and equipment operation, explained Piccini, emphasizing the importance of young apprentices and journeypersons training on the same equipment and technologies they’ll use on the job.
Training on modern, industry-standard equipment will reportedly include everything from turbines to conveyor systems, to welding equipment and robotic technologies.
Piccini described the ground-breaking as a “momentous day,” marking a major investment in workers and said he was proud to see the next generation of skilled trades professionals being trained locally. He also said the ambitious undertaking serves as a testament to millwrights’ dedication to see through this vision.
“This is the type of team that’s passionate about our next generation, that’s passionate about meeting the demand for skilled tradespeople in Ontario, and passionate about building Ontario.”
In addition to ensuring skilled workers have access to world-class training to land good-paying careers, he also noted that the provincial investment will help Ontario unlock economic potential and deliver on its $236-billion commitment under critical infrastructure.
Of course, there were several references to historical and ongoing partnerships with Ontario Power Generation-related work – including the potential nuclear plant proposal in Wesleyville – as millwrights continue to be in high demand at OPG, also in connection to work in Darlington and Pickering.
Piccini spoke of the importance of building energy independence in the face of ongoing economic uncertainty.
However, while demand across the energy sector has been described as greater than ever, this was not the only area cited for need.
Millwrights are also in high demand for their experience and safety skills under installing, maintaining and repairing machinery and equipment under manufacturing, construction and industrial sectors, attendees heard.
What’s more, over the next decade, about 400,000 skilled trades-related occupations will be needed to fill job openings to tackle growth and in the wake of retirements, noted Piccini.
According to the province, last year, about 43,300 millwrights were employed in Ontario. The average provincial wage of a millwright was reported at about $40 per hour in 2025, in a recent release.
Skilled Trades Ontario CEO and Registrar Candice White (a familiar name in Port Hope) has also noted demand for skilled tradespeople is “growing exponentially every single day.”
She, too, shared excitement about the new centre, saying it will help future millwrights prepare for some of Ontario’s most important industries.
“When we break ground on a training facility like this one, we’re also laying the foundation for future careers, future leaders, future mentors, future skilled trades professionals – men and women – who will help … keep Ontario competitive and growing for decades to come.”
Mayor Olena Hankivsky also called the start of construction an incredibly exciting day for the Municipality of Port Hope, while acknowledging the leadership and members of Millwright Local 2309, representatives from the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, industry partners, fellow elected officials, and more.
She said the ground-breaking represented “more than just the turning of soil,” and echoed the importance of investing in people and opportunities to strengthen the future of communities like Port Hope.
“Port Hope has always been a community that understands the value in industry,” she said. “Our history, our economy (and) our identity have been shaped by skilled workers, manufacturers, tradespeople, entrepreneurs, and innovators who have helped to build and sustain this community over generations.”
These sectors, she continued, provide good jobs, support local families, and create a strong foundation for a resilient local economy.
Online, UBC Millwright Local 2309 states its roots date back to 1950. As Canada’s first Millwright Local Union, its more than 1,400 members are described as cross-trained construction and maintenance experts.
“Workers are going to leave this facility better prepared to step into good-paying jobs and contribute to the major projects driving growth in Port Hope and across Ontario,” said Piccini, adding this project is a great example of what can happen when government works alongside organized labour, employers, industries and communities.
He also said Ontario’s plan to expand capacity and access to high-quality training provincewide is ultimately preparing workers with the skills needed to build homes, highways, hospitals, schools and additional critical infrastructure.
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