Menu

training

Transports on a double yellow line highway

Driving in northern Ontario to be included in new commercial vehicle driver training

, , ,

The provincial government is introducing a new curriculum for commercial vehicle driver training.

Training centres will be required to provide no less than 103 hours of training and include sessions on fatigue management, northern, rural and remote driving and mandatory air brake training.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sakaria says it recognizes concerns reflected in a recent Auditor General’s report.

“What we see right now is curricula based on each individual school that are approved through the colleges and universities, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and their program planning,” says Sakaria.

“What this will do is it will standardize each curriculum, and it will standardize each school to train the exact same way. This allows us to have a higher standard across the province. It allows us to have better enforcement when those plans are not being followed.”

The Auditor General’s report found that many training centres were not meeting minimum requirements and some students were not fully trained upon graduation.

Sakaria says they expect to have the new curriculum fully rolled out by the early part of next year.

“You’ll see some of the work that we’ll be conducting through the next couple of months, whether it be better awareness and training around fatigue, better awareness around rural and northern Ontario,” he says.

“Those are all going to be components of this in conjunction with the record number of transportation enforcement officers on our roads conducting roadside inspections.”

The Transportation Minister adds that the new curriculum adds to the other measures taken in recent months impacting commercial vehicles and their drivers.

They have included tougher penalties on distracted driving and driving without a functioning speed limiter.

The government has also hired over 130 Ministry of Transportation enforcement officers, with an emphasis on placing more in northern Ontario.

Sakaria says nearly 130,000 inspections of commercial vehicles were conducted over the last year.

“Truck drivers are the backbone of Ontario’s economy, but we must ensure trucks are driven safely.”

confused, muddled, illogical, disoriented, perplexed, puzzled, baffled, doubt, indecision, confusion, uncertainty, wrong direction, uncertain, mistaken, misdirected, choice, wrong, incorrect, decision, unsuitable, unfit, improper, hammer, shifting spanner, nail, tools, misfit, mismatch, confused, confused, confused, confused, illogical, doubt, confusion, confusion, uncertainty, choice, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, decision, hammer, hammer, hammer, hammer, nail, nail, nail, nail, tools, tools, tools, tools, mismatch, mismatch

New Brunswick eliminates apprenticeship training tuition

, , ,

The New Brunswick government is reducing barriers for apprenticeship training in the province.

On Friday, the province announced in a news release that it eliminated the tuition fee for apprenticeship-level training.

Premier Susan Holt said in the release the change will allow apprentices to save more than $2000 over the course of their training, making apprenticeship training more accessible and affordable.

“We need more people in good-paying trades jobs to build our homes, schools and hospitals. Removing these costs is one more way we are helping New Brunswickers build a career and a future here at home,” she added.

The tuition cost of technical training is $85 per week. Most apprentices complete four levels of technical training, each lasting about 8 to 10 weeks over the course of their apprenticeship.

Many apprentices also face financial pressures beyond tuition, including reduced income while attending training and additional travel or living costs when programs are offered outside their home community.

The province said more accessible training will also benefit employers and communities by strengthening the workforce and helping meet the growing demand for workers.

“Removing a barrier that could prevent someone from advancing in their career benefits everyone,” said Post Secondary Education and Training Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours. “Housing is one of government’s top priorities, and we are focused on increasing the number of skilled trade workers, given the number of retirements expected in the next 10 years.”

Halifax Firefighter

Dalhousie, N.S. partner on new firefighter leadership certificate

, , ,

Dalhousie University is partnering with the province to launch a new program aimed at offering modern training for firefighters.

The Nova Scotia Fire Service Leadership Certificate will consist of six customized courses covering station operations, fire prevention and suppression, municipal administration, finance, human resources, and organizational leadership.

Minister of Emergency Management Kim Masland says firefighters “deserve the training, tools and support they need to lead with confidence,” adding that, “this partnership with Dalhousie is about investing in the people who lead our fire departments and strengthening fire services in communities across Nova Scotia.”

The province is contributing more than $209,000 toward the program.

All six courses can be completed online in about 18 months and require about three hours of study per week outside of virtual lessons.

During scheduled class time, students will learn through case studies and real-world examples from Nova Scotia, creating opportunities for firefighters across the province to share experiences and build a network of industry leaders.

Fire Service Association of Nova Scotia president Rod Nielsen says, “The continued learning of fire service members is very important for success in their diverse and challenging positions of fire service leadership.”

Dalhousie University has offered fire leadership training since the mid-1980s and updated its programs in 2025 to better reflect the skills fire service leaders need today.

Developed by Dalhousie’s Faculty of Open Learning and Career Development in partnership with the Department of Emergency Management, the new program is designed to help firefighters move into leadership roles while helping current officers strengthen their skills.

Acting Dean Jennifer Hann says, “This certificate brings together Dalhousie’s expertise in leadership development with the lived experience of fire service professionals to provide practical, accessible learning that reflects the realities of their work.”

She adds that the university “is proud to partner with the province to create a learning opportunity that will help current and future fire service leaders build the skills and confidence they need to lead effectively.”

Applications will open on Dalhousie University’s website in September for the first two cohorts, which are expected to begin in January and April 2027.

firefighters near fire

Residents advised of Navy firefighter training in Herring Cove

, , , , , , , , ,

Residents of the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM), particularly those in the Herring Cove area, are being advised of nighttime helicopter firefighter training this week.

The training will take place at the Naval Fleet School Atlantic’s Damage Control Division in Herring Cove, off John Brackett Drive, on Thursday, July 16, from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Royal Canadian Navy officials say the exercises are held twice a year as part of the Damage Control Division’s broader training program, helping ensure Canadian Armed Forces members are prepared to respond to fires aboard ships and aircraft after dark.

They note that flames from the helicopter firefighting training may be visible to nearby residents and boaters along the coast. While the flames may appear large, officials stress they will be fully controlled and monitored by on-site safety teams.

Navy officials add that local emergency services, including 9-1-1 operations, will not be affected by the training. They also apologize for any inconvenience caused to residents and motorists in the area.

firefighters' gear

$1M firefighter training facility under construction in Antigonish

, ,

A new firefighter training facility is under construction in Antigonish to fulfill the growing demand in the community.

Adrian Van de Sande, the chief of the Antigonish County Volunteer Fire Department tells us it’s exciting that the building is now well on its way.

“It’s not an idea on pen and paper anymore,” says Van de Sande. “We’ve acquired the land, we’ve cleared the land, we’ve put our gravel pads in.”

He says they have also purchased some equipment.

What is it?

The Antigonish Area Fire and Rescue Training Centre will be in the Industrial Park in the Lower South River.

The idea came from seeing a need in fire service which now ranges from fighting fires to ice rescues and medical calls.

”Firefighter access to realistic training opportunities is limited to us right now and have been for awhile,” says Van de Sande.

Firefighters will be able to get their level one training, which usually takes about eight months, but it will also give firefighters and junior members and all emergency responders a place to train, learn and build skills close to home.

“When you call 911, you want the best to show up. That’s what we’re working towards. Everybody to have standardized training. Very high-quality training,” explains Van de Sande.

The new facility will also be much cheaper than the school in Halifax.

“It would cost us close to $2,500 per person to go, plus travel, plus rooms,” explains Van de Sande. “They can come to Antigonish and the whole department may be charged $250.”

Fundraising

The facility is going to cost just over $1 million.

So, Van de Sande says, they’ve received about $250 but will look to the community to help get the $750,000 needed with a “very large” fundraising campaign.

“We’ve been slowly working on it the last month or so, but it’s really going to take a kickoff as the summer rolls on,” adds Van de Sande.

He says there are nine chiefs working together on it. So, “it’s a huge thing.”

There will be an open house on June 20 at the Antigonish County Volunteer Fire Department on Beach Hill Road from 12-4 p.m.

House Construction

N.B. funding skills training for veterans, military members

, ,

The Holt government announced funding to help veterans and military members find second careers.

The province will provide $275,000 to Helmets to Hardhats Canada and for its Skills Edge program.

The program helps members of New Brunswick’s military community get into the construction industry, providing employment readiness support, outreach and pathways into apprenticeship and certification.

“We are going to need thousands of new employees in the skilled trades industry in the coming years,” Post-secondary Education and Training Minister Jean-Claude D’Amours said in a statement.

“Helping former soldiers, reservists and their families launch a second career in a critical industry is an exciting opportunity.”

D’Amours said programs like Skills Edge will help drive New Brunswick’s economic development strategy.

He added a skilled and adaptable workforce is vital to the province’s growth.

Helmets to Hardhats executive director James Hogarth said the organization is proud to partner with the province.

He said the investment reflects a shared commitment to recognizing the skills and discipline members of the military community can bring to the civilian workforce.

“By supporting clear pathways into unionized construction careers, we are opening doors to meaningful, long-term employment for those who have served our country,” Hogarth said.

The chair of the Apprenticeship and Occupational Certification Board, Rick Smith, said the program is just what New Brunswick needs right now.

“We’re always looking for job-ready people,” Smith said. “Skills Edge helps deliver that.”

Smith said participants in the program understand job site expectations, take safety seriously and are committed to staying in the industry.

3D rendering of generic transportation concept at dawn

Ontario Auditor General cites lack of inspection of commercial vehicle driver training programs

, ,

Ontario’s Auditor General is calling for increased inspection of commercial vehicle driver training programs.

Shelley Spence says she found a lack of oversight of the private career colleges that offer the training and inconsistent training practices.

Spence says inspections of those colleges have not been keeping pace.

“MCURES (Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security) had never inspected 54 of the 216 registered private career colleges actively offering entry-level training,” says SPence.

“Out of the 81 that had reached the fifth year, 44 or 54% had not been reinspected.”

Spence also found that some drivers received certificates for completing a training program that was shorter than the 103.5 hours required in an entry-level training program.

“Based on our students’ experiences at training providers, we found examples where schools delivered only 59.5 and 81 hours,” says Spence.

“We also found cases where students were not taught key elements such as left turns at major intersections, reverse parking and emergency stopping.”

Some unregistered centres that were inspected and fined for violations continued to operate after being cited.

Spence also found road tests vary between communities and drive test centres.

Some relied on lower-speed expressways for highway manoeuvres, and others did not test drivers on backing up, a requirement to obtain a license.

Spence notes that while transports account for just 3% of all vehicles on the road, they have been involved in 12% of all accidents between 2019 and 2023.

She makes 13 recommendations that the government is accepting.

The Ministry of Transportation and the Ministry of Colleges and Universities state they are exploring ways to expand their oversight of driver training programs.