Burned remains identified as body of Markham woman who went missing two weeks ago

Apprenticeships can be a dream scenario. You can earn while you learn, jobs are in demand, incomes are often high.

Employers and governments are eager to help students through the process with a variety of grants, resources and learning supports.

EllisChart.ca shows how 320 trades are handled across the country — whether certification is available and compulsory, if apprenticeship programs exist, how many training hours are required, and so on.

Would-be apprentices can thrive with a few key qualities and interests, said Jeff Ritter, CEO of the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trade Certification Commission.

First and foremost, skilled tradespeople should be problem-solvers, he said. They should have a natural interest in working with their hands and being active throughout the day. They should be comfortable with math and science, as some trades use these subjects daily, he pointed out.

And technology lovers will thrive in many industries.

“If you like working with the latest technology — this will blow your mind — but the trades are where you want to be,” Ritter said.

“The future already exists within the skilled trades. Take agricultural equipment technician, for example — they’ve had full self-driving agricultural equipment for years and years. It’s ridiculously high-tech, so if you’re excited about working with the latest and the greatest, this is the place to be.”

Provinces and territories have their own rules regarding regulation, training and certifying of various trades, while Red Seal trades, such as plumber or landscape horticulturist, are formally recognized across Canada.

The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency, for instance, functions as both a regulator of apprenticeships, as well as organizes programs with training providers.

“There are two different main ways that you can get into an apprenticeship,” said CEO Michelle Bussey. “There’s direct entry — basically anybody can go find an employer that’s willing to take them on as an apprentice, and then they form an agreement with us, and then they’re working as an apprentice.

“The other way is pre-apprenticeship, or pre-employment. That might be through a local community college where they do a one- or two-year program, get a certificate from the college, and then that puts them in advanced standing.”

That’s a main perk of taking an apprenticeship — you already have a job. Red River College Polytechnic in Winnipeg offers certificates and diplomas for various trades, but joining the apprenticeship program means you’re already hired.

“So when we talk about employment rates, it’s 100 per cent because every apprentice that comes for training is employed,” said Derek Kochenash, dean of the School of Skilled Trades and Technologies. “They have an employer sponsor.”

In terms of challenges, Kochenash said some professions or industries are seasonal, which may involve downtime in the winter, and some trades involve working outside in the elements. But many aspects of trades industries have evolved rapidly for today’s generation.

“One of the stigmas associated with skilled trades is around safety, and being dirty,” Kochenash said.

“Skilled trades have come miles and miles with respect to their working conditions and the safety measures that are put in place. Back when I was a young apprentice, we certainly didn’t have as much PPE, companies weren’t following the strict safety regimen that is out there today.”

If students assume apprenticeships are fully hands-on learning, Bussey pointed out that classroom training and theory is still involved, as well as exam writing. But there are classroom supports available for those with different learning abilities.

And some stretches of technical training may not be paid by the employer, Ritter noted — it depends on the company. But students can use employment insurance during gaps in income.

Otherwise, there aren’t many more downsides to apprenticeships for students who have interest in these careers.

“Across the country, there are apprenticeship and skilled trades opportunities in every single community,” Bussey said. “I sit on lots of national committees and groups, and we’re all saying the same thing — nobody can find enough workers. So there’s a huge opportunity.”

Kochenash said workers have a number of employment streams to choose fromin trades — they can travel, they can join large infrastructure projects, they can start a business, they can work in management or become president of a company, they can work in education to train others.

There’s a lot of job satisfaction as well, Ritter said.

“The people driving the nice trucks and living in the really nice houses — oftentimes, you know, they’re skilled tradespeople, but they’re humble about it,” he said.

“They make good livings, they participate in meaningful work, they give back to their communities and they work hard every day. It’s a really first choice career.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 17, 2024.

Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed…

Bloc wins Montreal Liberal stronghold, NDP holds on to seat in Winnipeg byelection

The Bloc Québécois has won the Montreal Liberal stronghold riding of LaSalle—Émard—Verdun after an extremely tight three-way race with the NDP.

The resounding celebrations are another blow to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who faced calls to resign after losing another longtime Liberal seat in Toronto to the Conservatives in June.

Elections Canada reported all 187 polls showing the Bloc won the seat 248 votes ahead of the Liberals.

Further west in Winnipeg, the NDP maintained its stronghold in the riding of Elmwood — Transcona in a tight byelection race with the Conservatives.

Elections Canada reported the results of all 191 polls in the Winnipeg riding, showing NDP candidate Leila Dance won the race with 48.1 per cent of the vote.

Here’s what else we’re watching…

Inquiry to hear from MPs, elections commissioner

Liberal John McKay and Conservative Garnett Genuis are slated to appear today at a federal inquiry into foreign interference.

Both members of Parliament serve with the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, a group that brings together representatives of various countries to demand accountability from Beijing.

The federal inquiry, led by commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue, is also scheduled to hear from representatives of the Office of the Commissioner of Canada Elections, which carries out investigations.

The latest round of public hearings is focusing on the capacity of federal agencies to detect, deter and counter foreign interference.

The hearings, scheduled to continue through Oct. 16, will be relatively broad in scope, examining democratic institutions and the experiences of diaspora communities.

Calgary council facing fallout of Green Line spat

Calgary city council is set to face the fallout Tuesday of losing Alberta government funding for its Green Line light rail transit project, as Mayor Jyoti Gondek says it’s clear the province isn’t willing to budge on its rerouting demands.

Council is set to hear recommendations on how it could pay for the cost of abandoning the project and will mull over how it might transfer responsibility to the province.

While the city has already spent $1.4 billion on land acquisition, utility work and new rail vehicles, the full cost of killing the project in its current form is expected to become more clear.

Transportation Minister Devin Dreeshen penned a letter to Gondek in early September saying the province would pull its $1.53 billion in funding from the $6.2-billion project if the city doesn’t rejig the line’s route and extend it farther south.

Jasper council to discuss provincial funding ask

The town council of Jasper, Alta., is set to discuss today if it will ask for funding from the provincial government to offset reduced property tax revenues for the next three years.

The potential request comes as town administration proposes property tax relief for residents affected by a devastating wildfire in July.

One-third of the town’s buildings were destroyed, and the municipality estimates it has lost access to $1.25 million in annual property tax revenue.

Under the town’s proposal, all property owners would be given a one-month tax break for when a mandatory evacuation order was in place.

Property owners whose homes or businesses were destroyed would have their remaining or outstanding 2024 bill nullified.

The proposal means Jasper would forgo over $1.9 million in municipal property tax revenue this year, or roughly 17 per cent of its overall budget.

Smith to announce supports for squeezed classrooms

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is set to announce a plan to help school classrooms being squeezed by an influx of new families.

Smith has scheduled a televised address to air on Global and CTV and to stream online at 6:50 p.m. local time.

Smith says her government was taken by surprise at the number of people who moved to Alberta last year.

The province’s population grew by more than 200,000 people in 2023-24, and Smith says every single school is facing capacity issues.

The province’s two largest divisions, Edmonton Public Schools and the Calgary Board of Education, say their schools are expected to have a utilization rate of well over 90 per cent this school year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 17, 2024.

LOYALIST TOWNSHIP, ONTARIO, CANADA – The plant was expected to produce batteries for a million electric vehicles a year. Once up and running, it was supposed to create hundreds of permanent jobs in a small southeastern Ontario municipality.

It was, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time, “big news” that Belgium-based Umicore chose Loyalist Township for its battery component production facility — evidence, the federal and provincial governments said, of success in the quest to make Canada a global electric-vehicle productionhotspot.

But two years later, spending on the construction of the Umicore plant has been delayed in what the company calls a “significant worsening of the EV market context.”

It’s not the only EV project facing delays, despite billions in public subsidies on offer. Trudeau’s Liberal government, which promised to end the sale of gas vehicles by 2035, is getting long in the tooth, and consumer demand is slowing amid political uncertainty.

Experts suggest these are the growing pains of an industry that needs more time to develop. But that’s not much comfort to the mayor of Loyalist Township, home to some 18,000 people near Kingston, Ont.

“It was a very concerning announcement for the entire community,” Jim Hegadorn said in an interview at the local town hall, after Umicore said in late Julyit would delay spending on the construction of its facility.

The plant was previously expected to begin production in 2026 and create around 600 jobs. Some construction work, such as pouring concrete and installing pipes, has already been done, Hegadorn said, and the company has made promises to fulfil existing construction contracts.

The mayor said he hopes Umicore factors in Canadians’ “strong desire” to shift toward EVs as it decides on the plant’s future.

“Real decisions need to be made on the prediction of(what will be needed)five years from now, 10 years and 20 years from now,” he said.

In a recent statement, Umicore said customers’ demand projections for its battery materials “have steeply declined recently,” and the future of the plant will be informed by a comprehensive review of company operations in Asia, Europe and North America.

Hegadorn called the review a “positive” step, hoping the outcome would revitalize the project in his home town.

Ottawa and the provinces have been betting big that shoring up Canadian supply chains is important to the country’s economic future.

Since October 2020, 13 companies have announced a combined investment of $46.1 billion in EV-related projects in Canada, with governments pledging to provide $52.5 billion worth of support via construction and production subsidies, and tax credits, according to an estimate by the parliamentary budget officer.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has regularly touted his province’s plan to create an “end-to-end” EV supply chain that also prioritizes mining critical minerals crucial to battery production.

But Umicore is not the only firm to hit the brakes, even though nearly $1 billion worth of its own subsidies are on the line.

Ford Motors Co. has opted to delay its production of electric SUVs at an Oakville, Ont., assembly plant from next year to 2027. The American automaker now says it will produce 100,000 gas-powered Super Duty trucks at the plant, starting in 2026.

Spokesperson Said Deep explained that the decision means Canadian employees will return to work at the plant earlier than expected and help meet demand for the pickup trucks. He said the company is still committed to EVs.

The production of zero-emission vehicles, tied to a $1.8-billion investment at the Oakville plant, could net the company some $590 million in subsidies.

Greig Mordue, an associate professor of engineering and the chair of advanced manufacturing policy at McMaster University, said he expects the Canadian industry to start being productive, but much later than was originally advertised.

“The one good thing,” he said, is that most of the public spending is attached to production.

Many Canadian consumers aren’t yet ready to transition to electric vehicles due to concerns that include range anxiety, lack of charging infrastructure and affordability, he said.

He added that manufacturers outside China have struggled to build electric vehicles for prices people can pay.

“Consumers aren’t as interested as the most optimistic prognosticators forecast two, three, five years ago,” he said.

A study published by J.D. Power, a company tracking consumer data, reported in May that significantly fewer Canadians said they were considering buying an electric vehicle.

Only 11 per cent of just under 3,000 Canadian shoppers said they were strongly considering buying an electric vehicle, which was less than half of the 24 per cent of U.S. respondents who expressed strong interest.

More Canadians said they are very or somewhat unlikely to consider an EV for their next purchase, the study suggests. The percentage went from 53 of respondents in 2022 to 67 per cent last year and 72 per cent this year.

“We’re still selling more,” said Robert Karwel, the director of J.D. Power’s customer success and data analytics division. “The rate of growth in the curve for EVs as they penetrate the marketplace has slowed down, but it is still growing.”

But Brendan Sweeney, the managing director of the Trillium Network for Advanced Manufacturing, said there’s still a long way to go before the Canadian market can meet Ottawa’s goal of ending the sale of gas guzzlers by 2035.

“This is part of our 10-, 15- and 20-year transition that we’re, like, two years and three years into now,” he said.

In the global race for EV supremacy, he said, “doing nothing was not a very good option.” Still, Sweeney speculated that many companies are stalling their projects for political reasons.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who is polling far ahead of Trudeau, has not specified his approach to EV subsidies. A federal election is slated to happen by October 2025.

Trudeau has dubbed the investments a “strategic decision” on a “nascent industry.”

“We are making the right bet on the future,” he said at a news conference in Napanee, Ont., this summer.

Loyalist resident Scotty Schembri said he needs that gamble to start paying off soon.

He said his father, an electrician, works about a seven-hour drive away in Windsor, Ont., and is only able to visit his family once every two weeks. Those jobs at Umicore could bring his dad home, Schembri said, but he is not holding his breath.

“I feel like most (of the) time they delay it,” he said of the promise that an electric-vehicle boom could bring more jobs to the community. “It is a lot longer than what they say.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.