Thunder Bay aviation receives $1.5 million federal investment
The aviation industry in Thunder Bay is getting a piece of the pie from Mark Carney’s huge defence spending increase.
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario (FedNor) is investing over $1.5 million into Thunder Bay’s Levaero Aviation Group. These funds will go towards Levaero’s Hangar 97 project, a new 500-square foot building to accommodate aircraft equipment and staff for refurbishment processes.
FedNor Minister and Thunder Bay MP Patty Hajdu says keeping Canadian aviation manufacturing in-country is very important in the current political climate.
“Canada was built by Canadians, and our defence industry is no different,” Hajdu said. “By supporting domestic efforts to grow our armed forces through the Buy Canada plan for supplying the military, we are investing in Canada and in Northern Ontario. This will create real opportunities for businesses and workers, here at home. When we empower Canadian industries to thrive, we contribute to a safer future for all generations.”
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP Marcus Powlowski emphasized the need for defence spending, referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and U.S. President Donald Trump’s aggression towards Canada.
“It would be nice to live in a world where we don’t have to spend any money at all on defence,” Powlowski said. “The money could go to healthcare, to education, to better roads. But as Prime Minister Carney said, we need to take the world as it is. Currently, threats abound from all sides.”
“Either you’re at the table or you’re on the menu, and we don’t want to be on the menu for countries that look at dividing up the world and creating their own spheres.”
Patty Hajdu says the defence strategy has a goal of creating 125,000 jobs through domestic production.
“The intent is to be able to produce as much as possible for our own military needs and our own sovereignty needs,” Hadju said. “The best-case scenario is that we’re confident Canada can defend itself, that we can act as an ally, that we’ve met our NATO commitments, and that we have a skilled workforce with confident Canadians knowing they have a place.”
Levaero Aviation is just two doors down from Confederation College’s aviation centre, and they have a strong partnership with the program. The college also provides training to reserves and aircraft maintenance technicians for the Royal Canadian Air Force.
“(We) supply those maintenance grads, as well as those who will be flying the planes. Not only for the Air Force, but across Northwestern Ontario and Canada,” said Michelle Salo, President of Confederation College.
Salo says the investment will benefit more than just the defence sector.
“When you think of how northwestern Ontario is evolving with critical minerals, you really need planes to get in and out of some of these places to bring people and equipment in. And you need mechanics to help support that too. So this will be critical for the economic development of northwestern Ontario, as well as the defence strategy,” Salo said.
