ST. CATHARINES – The Ontario government is investing $215 million to support shipbuilding and the broader marine sector in the province, including through the establishment of a $15 million Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program to expand the province's shipbuilding sector. The support provided through the Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program will ensure Ontario is positioned to support Canada's National Shipbuilding Strategy and support Ontario manufacturing businesses and workers in the face of American tariffs and economic uncertainty. The Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program will fund projects that support skills training, infrastructure improvements and the purchase of machinery and equipment in the shipbuilding sector.
"Niagara has a strong marine legacy of building ships with workmanship and skill," said Sam Oosterhoff, MPP for Niagara West.
"This provincial investment through the Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program will provide opportunities for good jobs and careers with bigger paycheques for Niagara workers as our provincial shipyards build world-class commercial vessels."
"With our North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies meeting this week, Ontario workers are ready to step up and build the ships that will protect Ontario and Canada," said Hon. Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation.
"As the federal government increases its defence commitment to meet our treaty spending targets, our government is ensuring Ontario workers and businesses have the skills and equipment they need to help. Now, it is up to the federal government to ensure Ontario shipbuilders are included in its National Shipbuilding Strategy."
The Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program will help Ontario-based shipbuilding businesses support Canada's shipbuilding capacity under the federal National Shipbuilding Strategy. The first-of-its-kind program in Ontario will provide shipbuilders access to non-repayable grants for up to fifty percent of eligible costs for projects that support the shipbuilding industry's competitiveness, business growth and long-term capacity. Applications will open in late July through Transfer Payment Ontario. More information on the program can be accessed through Ontario's funding opportunities webpage.
"Today's announcement is a major win for St. Catharines and the entire marine sector," said Mat Sicoe, Mayor of the City of St. Catharines.
"The Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program will bring new investment and good jobs to the Port Weller Dry Docks - support we have long advocated for through our work on the Ontario Marine Transportation Strategy. This funding secures a stronger future for Ontario Shipyards and helps keep our province competitive on the water."
Ontario's crucial role as Canada's economic and manufacturing engine and the proven capabilities of the province's skilled workforce can help meet the federal government's shipbuilding procurement needs. With support from the Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program, Ontario's shipbuilding sector will have the skills, knowledge, infrastructure and workers to contribute to Canada's maritime security and help shape its shipbuilding future.
Today's investment will strengthen the shipbuilding workforce by allowing workers to upskill and stay up to date with emerging technologies and industry standards. This will enhance Ontario's economic competitiveness and development throughout the province, including in Northern Ontario, which is key to unlocking potential in the shipbuilding industry.
"On behalf of Ontario Shipyards, I want to thank Minister Sarkaria, Premier Ford and the entire Ontario government for their investment of $215 million into the shipbuilding and marine sector," said Shaun Padulo, President and Chief Executive Officer of Ontario Shipyards.
"At a time when industrial jobs are under pressure across North America, Ontario has taken bold, strategic action to support a growing sector critical to our economy and national security."
Quick Facts:
In the 2025 Ontario Budget, the province announced it will invest over $200 million to support Ontario's shipbuilding and broader marine sector. Further details about additional investments beyond the Ontario Shipbuilding Grant Program will be provided in the coming months.
In 2024, marine transportation contributed over $280 million to Ontario’s Gross Domestic Product. Strengthening Ontario's marine sector is critical to enhancing the province's economic competitiveness and is one of the key actions outlined in The Future of the Great Lakes Economy: Ontario's Marine Transportation Strategy.
Ontario is home to four of five Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, which includes 10,500 kilometres of shoreline. The province shares these waterways with our most important trading partner, the United States.
- The Gross Domestic Product of the Great Lakes region is approximately $7.5 trillion. If it were a country, this would make it the third-largest economy in the world.
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