Ontario Construction News staff writer
Bruce Power and the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario are partnering on a long-term strategy to ensure a skilled workforce is in place to support the proposed Bruce C New Nuclear Project and other major builds across the province.
Announced April 27, the initiative known as the Bruce C Skilled Trades Workforce Readiness Planning Strategy—aims to strengthen apprenticeship pathways, expand training capacity, and improve labour planning as Ontario prepares for a surge in large-scale infrastructure, energy and industrial projects.
Building on a longstanding relationship, Bruce Power and the Provincial Building and Construction Trades Council of Ontario said the strategy is designed to ensure the right workers with the right qualifications are available when needed, while supporting long-term careers in the skilled trades.
The Bruce C project, if approved, would be one of the largest construction undertakings in Canadian history, with workforce demands expected to overlap with other major projects across Ontario, putting pressure on apprenticeship systems and regional labour markets.
“The Bruce C Project is a generational opportunity for Ontario to power its future and drive the economy,” said Pat Dalzell, Bruce Power’s vice-president of corporate affairs and market development. “This strategy will help ensure we can employ the right people at the right time, while supporting apprenticeships, training capacity, and good-paying jobs that benefit local communities and the provincial economy.”
The plan centres on three key components: joint governance through a steering committee co-chaired by both organizations and supported by industry and government partners; a demand-and-supply forecasting tool to identify workforce needs by trade; and a mitigation plan to address labour gaps, enhance training capacity, and support worker mobility.
Marc Arsenault, business manager and secretary-treasurer of the Building Trades Council, said collaboration will be critical given the scale of the proposed project.
“A project the size of Bruce C would provide good jobs for construction tradespeople, requiring a great deal of planning and collaboration,” he said. “We’re making sure Ontario has the skilled people needed to deliver complex projects safely, on time, and with lasting economic benefits.”
Over the next year, the partners will finalize governance structures, develop the forecasting dashboard, and advance measures such as expanding apprenticeship and training programs, improving workforce housing and mobility supports, and implementing monitoring systems to respond quickly to emerging labour shortages.
The organizations say the shared approach will help reduce labour-market volatility, improve project certainty, and create more opportunities for workers to build long-term careers in the skilled trades across Ontario.
