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New aviation talent rises to meet demand

Employment gaps across the Canadian aviation industry have made the 4th annual Confederation College Aviation Day more important than ever.

Students in the aviation technician/aircraft maintenance and aviation flight management (piloting) programs had the chance to network with over 25 potential employers at the Aviation Centre of Excellence on campus Wednesday afternoon.

The fair also featured events and challenges such as a VR piloting experience and a technician skills competition.

Reps from Pop-Up VR show off their immersive VR piloting experience at Aviation Day (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/March 11 2026)

“The industry is so short for pilots and aircraft mechanics right now,” said Matt Bunn, Associate Dean of Confederation’s Aviation Centre of Excellence. “It’s such a good time to get into aviation. Ten years ago would have been a different scene, but we’ve got so many different employers that are coming to us and seeking our grads.”

“It’s a very mutually beneficial event for both industry and the students of our two aviation programs.”

Confederation Aviation School of Excellence Vice President Matt Bunn at Wednesday’s job fair (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/March 11 2026)

Representatives from main line airlines Air Canada and Porter attended the fair, as well as the Royal Canadian Air Force and the OPP.

“5, 10 years down the line, you’re going to see me in the airlines, definitely,” said Oliver Morgan, second-year student in Confederation’s piloting program. “You’re going to hear Captain Morgan on the airways, and I’m not talking about the liquor.”

Morgan will be interning with Perimeter airlines in the summer after graduation.

“You work really hard to be able to showcase your skills at a high level. Being able to get into the industry basically straight out the gate is just fortunate,” Morgan said.

Sean Park, a second-year student in the aircraft maintenance program, echoes Morgan’s sentiment.

Second-year aircraft maintenance student Sean Park at Aviation Day (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/March 11 2026)

“If I can say anything to the first years or any potential students, I’d tell them to just come and say hi and explore, try new things, get your hands on as many things as you can, and just see where life takes you,” Park said. “I really liked working on things, and I started off working on computers for my friends and family. I started in journalism, but a lot of my friends I met doing that told me to give aircraft maintenance a try. So I came all the way here to Thunder Bay from BC to do just that.”

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Confederation College signs MOA with navy

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Confederation College is partnering with the Royal Canadian Navy to educate future sailors.

Through their Non-Commissioned Member Subsidized Training and Education Plan (NCMSTEP), the navy will cover tuition and pay an annual salary to eligible students looking to join the military after graduation. Military-related programs like Aviation Technician, Engineering Technician and Electrical Engineering qualify for the subsidy.

Students will likely need to attain Basic Military Qualification and pursue military training in the summer to fulfill the program.

Naval officers and college administrators gathered Tuesday for a signing ceremony to formalize the partnership.

Lieutenant Navy/Thunder Bay Catholic School Board teacher Joel Biesenthal (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/March 10 2026)

“We are short personnel currently to meet our operational needs, but we’re doing what we can with what we have,” said Lieutenant Navy Joel Biesenthal. “We are working on a major recruiting blitz to get more people to enroll. This is one of those avenues.”

Biesenthal, who is also a teacher with the Thunder Bay Catholic School Board, says he’s happy this program provides opportunities for his past students considering college.

“After I graduated high school, I did not have financial means to go to university. When I enrolled in the navy, it allowed me to get that employment experience and also the financial support to achieve my goals in education,” Biesenthal said.

Confederation Vice President Academic Aaron Skillen says the school is proud to partner with the Canadian Armed Forces. He emphasized the financial benefit of enrollment for potential recruits.

“It’s a wonderful financial aid opportunity,” Skillen said. “There’s a real component there of being supported both financially in your post-secondary studies as well as employment security and stability upon time of graduation.”

Basic Military Training Coordinator Adam Beverly speaks at Tuesday’s ceremony (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/March 10 2026)

Basic Military Training Coordinator and recent Confederation graduate Adam Beverly says joining the navy has been an adventure.

“Basically, if you want to travel, meet new people and gain a lot of overall life experience, it’s a great way to pursue that. And it’s great money to pay for college,” Beverly said.

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Thunder Bay aviation receives $1.5 million federal investment

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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.

Confederation College aviation students pose with Confederation College President Michelle Salo, MP Patty Hajdu and MP Marcus Powlowski at Friday’s announcement (Jacob Henriksen-Willis/February 20 2026)

“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.

Confederation College Thunder Bay campus

Confederation College welcomes funding increase

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The president of Confederation College is offering her appreciation to the provincial funding increase announced last week.

Ontario’s colleges are to get increases starting this fall.

The exact amount of money Confederation College will receive is not immediately known.

Michelle Salo says it should help avoid budget deficits that have been projected for this year and next.

“This fiscal year will end in a deficit, and next year was going to be a large deficit, which would be almost impossible to try and balance based on our current cost structure and all the efficiencies that we’ve already implemented as a college,” says Salo.

“So this additional funding really helps us to be able to manage a budget that’s a potential deficit that’s much more reasonable and something that we can work towards.”

Confederation College President Michelle Salo speaks to community members during a visit to Kenora, June 2025. Image: Tim Davidson

Last year, the college cut several programs.

Salo says the new funding would not have saved those programs because the moves were done in response to the federal government’s cap on foreign students.

“Unfortunately, the current funding won’t reverse any of those changes that we made, but it will help to continue to support the existing programming that we have,” says Salo.

Colleges will also benefit from a 2% increase in tuition fees.

This ends a tuition freeze that was put in place in 2018 after the province reduced them by 10%.

Salo says the increase will not address all of the revenue lost to colleges since.

“If you consider there was a 10% reduction in 2018 and it’s frozen since, the cumulative impact on the revenue is significant,” says Salo.

“It’s well over 30 % on the tuition side if we hadn’t had the drop in the freeze. So 2% is really a drop in the bucket, but it definitely helps to support, again, the future sustainability. And I think it’s a reasonable amount for students.”

The College is currently planning its budget for the next year.

The number of international students is expected to decline further as the federal cap continues to take hold.

Domestic student enrollment is expected to remain about the same for 2026-27 as it is now.

Salo says they are hoping to soon hear from the province on the exact amount of money they will receive, so they can finalize the budget and present it to the Board of Directors for approval in March.

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Confederation College Career Fair opens tomorrow

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Confederation College is hosting its annual Career Fair on Tuesday from 10 am to 2 pm.

The event is open to current students, upcoming graduates, alumni and community job seekers.

The college recommends researching participating exhibitors beforehand to help foster more engaging conversations.

It’s also recommended to bring an updated resume and cover letter catered towards your preferred field. If you need support with your resume or cover letter, or want advice on how to navigate a job fair, you can reach out to Northwest Employment Works.

Over 70 local and national employers are expected to attend. Here is the complete list, courtesy of Confederation College:

The fair will be held at the SUCCI Lounge within the college.

Two scientists working on computers in a laboratory.

Confederation College program added to Learn and Stay Grant program

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The provincial government is expanding its Learn and Stay Grant program.

It offers free tuition and support with other school expenses to students who study in certain programs in return for working in underserved areas, including northern Ontario, for at least two years.

Students who enrol in the medical laboratory science program at Confederation College this fall will be the latest to be eligible.

College President Michelle Salo welcomes the news.

“Confederation College is proud to see the expansion of the Ontario Learn and Stay Grant to our medical laboratory programs, a move that will have a profound impact on health care in Thunder Bay and across Northwestern Ontario,” states Salo in a release.

“By removing financial barriers and supporting learners who commit to staying in the region, this investment strengthens our communities and helps ensure access to critical diagnostic services close to home.”

The program is also being extended to students who enrol in a medical laboratory technology program at Canadore College in North Bay.

Colleges and Universities Minister Nolan Quinn says it will address the need for a highly-skilled healthcare workforce in the north.

“With two new OLSG-eligible medical laboratory programs in Northern Ontario, we’re removing financial barriers to help passionate, dedicated students pursue a world-class education, while connecting more people to high-quality care in their community,” states Quinn.

The expansion builds on the thousands of nurses, paramedics and medical laboratory technologists who have been or will be added to the region’s workforce with the support of Learn and Stay since 2023.

The province says more than $171 million has gone to 12,700 students across the province.

CONFED COLLEGE CANERECTOR SCHOLARSHIP DEC 16

Confederation College announces new scholarship for students in skilled trades

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The Canerector Foundation is investing $500,000 into a new partnership with Confederation College to support students in entering the skilled trades.

The scholarship will support 200 students over the next five years, with at least five scholarships each year dedicated to Indigenous students.

Canerector’s scholarship will be for students entering two-year programs for technicians and engineers, including aircraft maintenance, forestry ecosystem management, water resource management, and civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering.

Students who are selected can expect $1000 per semester and an additional $1000 upon completing their programs.

The scholarship program will also include a mentorship component, offering opportunities for networking and career development.

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Thunder Bay post-secondary institutions receiving funding to train more students

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Both Confederation College and Lakehead University (LU) have received money from the provincial government to help the organizations train more students.

The college is receiving the bulk of the funding, a total of $2,238,925, to train up to 267 additional students in construction programs.

“Between the multiple (construction) programs, the demand is huge. There’s obviously major construction that’s happening in northwestern Ontario, and these programs help to support that work,” said Confederation College President Michelle Salo.

“There’s definitely domestic student demand. That’s what we saw this past fall with the intake, so we’re hoping it will continue.”

The programs are also available to eligible international students.

According to the college, most of the students stay in the north to continue their careers.

An additional $800,320 is being delivered to Lakehead to expand enrollment in nursing programs at the university.

“Absolutely wonderful news for Lakehead and for our nursing program, but more importantly for the city of Thunder Bay in the region of Northwestern,” said the President and Vice Chancellor of Lakehead University, Dr. Gillian Siddall.

“Nurses are the backbone of our healthcare system, and I think particularly so in the north and in more rural and remote regions of the north, so it’s just fantastic news.”

LU was unable to provide information on how many more students will be able to enter a nursing program with the funding.

Confederation College Thunder Bay campus

Public welcome to check out Confederation College’s Open House

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Confederation College is hosting its annual Open House on Thursday at its Thunder Bay campus.

Prospective students are invited to come learn about the programs offered at the college, student life and how to pay for their education.

According to Confederation College’s manager of enrollment services and recruitment, the school usually sees more than 200 people attend the event.

“It is kind of the heart of our recruitment season right now,” says Derek Lawrence. “It is one of the biggest and best opportunities for people to come and see what the college has to offer.”

This year, the event is being rolled out in two stages: During the day, the college is hosting an invite-only Open House for high school students.

Prospective students and their parents as well as members of the public are invited to attend the evening Open House that will run from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.

In addition to getting to tour the campus, meet with faculty and current students, all attendees will also have a chance to win $1,000 tuition credit at the Open House.

“It’s a really exciting thing that we are able to do,” adds Lawrence. “(We’ll) do a draw and hopefully a great, local student will get that opportunity to make that transition a little bit easier.”

Coach Evan Littlefield and Golfer Nathan Lepore

Thunder Bay golfer secures fourth at Canadian collegiate championship

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A Thunder Bay resident and Confederation College golfer finished his season off on a highnote at the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) National Golf Championships.

Lepore, a student in the business marketing program, finished fourth overall out of 47 competitors in the men’s individual championship, posting an even-par score of 288 over four rounds.

“I had a rough start to the tournament, battling through tough conditions,” said Nathan Lepore, Confederation College Thunderhawks golfer. “Once I settled in, I played steady golf the rest of the way. I’m proud of how I stayed patient and finished strong. It’s an incredible honour to be recognized nationally, and I’m thankful to Coach Evan Littlefield for his support throughout the week.”

Lepore secured gold at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) Provincial Golf Championships earlier this month.

His win at the provincial championship made hime the first-ever OCAA golf medalist in Confederation College history as well as the first-ever OCAA individual champion from the school.

Lepore has had a busy golfing career.

In his rookie season he secured silver at the OCAA which was the first-ever individual golf medal in the college’s history.

He also took home the OCAA Provincial Golf Rookie of the Year Award and secured a spot on the OCAA First All-Star Team.

“This performance solidifies Nathan as one of the best in the country,” said Evan Littlefield, Head Coach of the Thunderhawks golf team. “His focus and determination were exceptional, and I couldn’t be prouder of how he represented Confederation College on the national stage.”

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