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 (OSGP) to expand the province’s shipbuilding sector. The support provided through the OSGP will ensure Ontario is positioned to support Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy and support Ontario manufacturing businesses and workers in the face of U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty. The OSGP will fund projects that support skills training, infrastructure improvements and the purchase of machinery and equipment in the shipbuilding sector.

Ontario Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria announced the launch of the OSGP at Ontario Shipyards’ Port Weller Dry Docks in St. Catharines in late June.

“Our government is ensuring Ontario workers and businesses have the skills and equipment they need to help,” Sarkaria said. “Now, it’s up to the federal government to ensure Ontario shipbuilders are included in its National Shipbuilding Strategy.”

The OSGP 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 50% 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.

Images courtesy of the Ministry of Transportation (Ontario).