It was a good day for three groups getting financial help from the Ford government.
Northern Development Minister Greg Rickford made several funding announcements in Thunder Bay.
Supercom Industries is receiving $1.5 million to help train 172 new and current Indigenous employees over the next three years. Their training will involve heavy equipment and other sizable machinery which requires special instruction.
Rickford notes Supercom has played a big role in helping to build the $777 million East-West Tie line transmission project in northwestern Ontario.
Also today it was announced Anishinabek Employment and Training Services will be using a $500,000 grant to teach 35 people for two pre-apprentice training projects. Rickford says the training will give them a start in high demand trades which include carpentry, welding, and other applications.
Lastly, Lakehead University is getting a research grant from the province. Two projects are receiving $140,707 in two local research projects through the Ontario Research Fund.
Most of the grant, $125,000, will go toward research on materials that can be used in forestry and to deal with emissions. The rest, $15,707, will be used for a driving simulator.