From left: Mike Parent, Workplace Safety North CEO; Sue Roque, Wahnapitae First Nation Cultural Coordinator; Mayor Paul Lefebvre; Jeff Lang, Workplace Safety and Insurance Board CEO; Jamie Roque, Wahnapitae First Nation Councillor; and Shawn Rideout, Ontario Mine Rescue Chief Mine Rescue Officer.
Workplace Safety North (WSN) and Ontario Mine Rescue (OMR) gathered with partners, community leaders, and Indigenous representatives this week to honour the ground where the future Ontario Mine Rescue Training Academy will be built.
The ceremony marked the beginning of the next phase of the project, with site preparation and servicing work scheduled to begin later this year.
A smudging ceremony, led by Sue Roque, Cultural Coordinator with Wahnapitae First Nation, recognized the significance of the land and the collaborative effort behind the project.
“The Ontario Mine Rescue Training Academy represents an important investment in the future of worker safety and emergency preparedness,” WSN CEO Mike Parent said in a news release.
“As we prepare this site for development, it is important that we also take time to recognize the land, the communities connected to it, and the long-term impact this facility will have in strengthening emergency response training in Ontario.”
Expected to open in 2029, the Ontario Mine Rescue Training Academy will be the first of its kind in Canada, providing mine rescue and high-hazard emergency response training.
The 124-acre facility will offer specialized training in confined space rescue, live fire exercises, tower and water rescue, and other complex emergency response scenarios. The facility will also serve as a key training destination for emergency preparedness and response training beyond the mining sector, supporting a range of emergency response needs across the province.
“This new facility will provide advanced, hands-on training right here in northern Ontario, ensuring mine rescue personnel have access to the specialized skills needed to respond effectively in emergency situations,” OMR chief mine rescue Officer Shawn Rideout said.
The facility is being supported through a C$125-million investment from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, along with the City of Greater Sudbury’s contribution of land for the future facility.