Northern Ontario Construction News staff writer
The provincial government is building an apprenticeship exam testing centre in Kenora to provide a second location in northwestern Ontario where apprentices can write the certification exams required before they can enter the workforce.
The centre will help remove longstanding barriers for apprentices in the region who previously had to travel to Thunder Bay, approximately five hours away, to write their exams, the PC government said in a news release.
Facilitated by Skilled Trades Ontario in partnership with Indigenous-led educational organization the Seven Generations Education Institute, the exam centre will help more trainees complete their apprenticeships faster to fill in-demand jobs, Labour Minister David Piccini said in the release.
According to the province, Northern Ontario is projected to need more than 21,500 workers to fill job openings in occupations related to the skilled trades.
“We are currently experiencing a large increase in commercial construction, and skilled trades are key to ensuring these projects are completed on time,” said Kenora Mayor Andrew Poirier, citing growing demand for tradespeople to complete projects including the All Nations Hospital that is planned to replace the Lake of the Woods District Hospital.
The exam centre is one piece of Ontario’s broader efforts to modernize and strengthen apprenticeship delivery, the release says.
Since April 2025, Skilled Trades Ontario has taken responsibility for delivering apprenticeship exams directly at training institutions province-wide for apprentices completing their final level of in-school training.
Over the past year, more than 5,400 final-level exams have been administered across Ontario, a 386 per cent increase since STO assumed responsibility, the statement added.
The province says northern Ontario will need more than 21,500 workers over the next decade to fill job openings in skilled trades-related occupations.
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