How LIUNA Local 607 is Expanding Indigenous Trades Training in Ontario

On the America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Andy Nieweglowski, Training Director for LIUNA Local 607 in Northern Ontario, Canada, outlined a new partnership with the Lakehead District School Board and Matawa First Nations designed to expand trades training opportunities for Indigenous students.

Nieweglowski said the collaboration will expose students to union construction careers while helping address skilled labor shortages tied to major regional infrastructure and resource projects. He also described the practical barriers that can limit participation—education gaps, travel distance, childcare and cost—and explained why Local 607 is pursuing on-site residency housing to make training more accessible. With roughly 1,000 members today, Nieweglowski said the Local’s goal is to double membership within four years to meet projected demand.

• LIUNA Local 607 is partnering with the Lakehead District School Board and Matawa First Nations to expand Indigenous-focused trades exposure and recruitment.
• Northern Ontario megaprojects are accelerating demand for laborers and cement finishers, and LIUNA leaders say membership must grow fast to keep pace.
• Wraparound supports—housing, safety, childcare and financial help—are central to training access, especially for workers traveling from remote communities.

In Northern Ontario, the skilled trades shortage is no longer a forecast. It is a scheduling problem on active jobsites, a workforce math problem for training directors, and a long-term economic challenge for communities that want local people building local infrastructure.

Andy Nieweglowski, Training Director for the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 607, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to describe how the union is responding with a strategy that blends recruitment, training access and community partnership—particularly with Indigenous students and First Nations communities.

Local 607, based in the Thunder Bay region and representing just under 1,000 members, covers a broad geographic territory stretching east toward Kapuskasing and west toward the Manitoba border near Kenora. That footprint includes communities and projects spread across long distances, as well as harsh winter conditions and remote areas where workforce availability can determine whether project timelines hold.

Nieweglowski said the Local is now partnering with the Lakehead District School Board and Matawa First Nations to expand exposure to Indigenous-focused trades training. The initiative is designed to connect students earning credits through Indigenous education pathways with hands-on construction awareness and a clearer view of union careers, he said.

LIUNA Local 607 Partnership Targets Indigenous Trades Pathways

Nieweglowski said the partnership is driven by a straightforward goal: create a pipeline into the trades for Indigenous students who are already connected to the school system but may not have consistent access to construction training or union recruitment.

The Lakehead District School Board covers three high schools participating in the program. The focus is specifically on Indigenous students from reserves who attend high school for credits, he said. Through the partnership, Local 607 aims to provide exposure to trades training and potential recruitment into union construction careers.

Nieweglowski framed the effort as both workforce development and reconciliation in practice—building economic opportunity while making sure indigenous communities have a real stake in the work happening in their regions.

Workforce Demand Surges With Northern Ontario Projects

Across the region, Nieweglowski said major construction and infrastructure work is expanding. He pointed to dams, highway projects and transmission lines as key drivers.

He also described the growing need to deliver power infrastructure for mining development in the north, including projects tied to the Ring of Fire. As these projects move from planning to execution, the demand for laborers, construction craft workers and cement finishers increases—trades that require large crews and consistent training.

For Local 607, the challenge is scale. Nieweglowski said the Local needs to build capacity not only for Thunder Bay but also for the broader region, where projects are distributed over long distances.

Skilled Trades Shortage Hits Every Craft, Not Just One

Nieweglowski said the shortage is not isolated to a single trade. Laborers, carpenters, electricians and other building trades are all facing recruitment pressure.

For LIUNA, the numbers can be especially demanding, as laborers and cement finishers are in high demand. He cited a major cement-heavy project expected to generate years of work, and Local 607’s current membership base will not be sufficient without rapid growth, he said.

Plans to Double Membership by 2030

With roughly 1,000 members today, Nieweglowski said Local 607’s target is to reach 2,000 members within four years.

That goal is tied to projected workload and the reality that large projects require manpower at scale. For training leadership, it means accelerating recruitment while maintaining standards—ensuring new entrants are prepared, safe and supported.

Tiny Homes Training Creates Real-World Construction Experience

Nieweglowski described a practical training model that connects classroom instruction to real-world outcomes: tiny homes.

The school board offers Indigenous skills training, including building tiny homes. Local 607 previously ran a similar tiny homes initiative and donated one or two units that still required interior finishing, so students could complete the work, he said.

The result, he said, is a “double win.” Local 607’s training effort continues through another group of learners while students gain tangible construction experience that can translate into apprenticeship readiness.

Barriers to Indigenous Training Include Education and Distance

Nieweglowski said training access is shaped by realities that are often overlooked in standard workforce planning.

Some remote reserves may offer schooling only through Grade 10, he said. That can create an education gap for prospective trainees.

Travel is another barrier. Not everyone can leave home for training, stay in hotels and absorb the cost and disruption. For workers with family responsibilities, childcare needs or limited financial flexibility, the barrier becomes structural.

Wraparound Supports and On-Site Residency Housing

To reduce those barriers, Nieweglowski said Local 607 is pursuing a residency model on union property.

The goal is to create a safe, stable place for trainees—LIUNA members seeking skill upgrades and Indigenous participants from across the region—to stay while completing training. By bringing housing into the training ecosystem, the union aims to reduce cost, improve retention and make participation realistic for people traveling from remote communities.

Nieweglowski described wraparound supports, including financial assistance, childcare support and a training environment where participants feel secure, as essential to solving the shortage.

Retirements Create a Bottleneck

Even when recruitment succeeds, Nieweglowski said the system faces a second constraint: the availability of experienced journeypersons.

He described a recent year in which 25 journeypersons retired. While the Local can bring in apprentices to replace those numbers, the challenge is pairing apprentices with enough experienced workers to mentor, supervise and maintain productivity, he said.

That bottleneck is why there is no quick fix. The shortage was visible years ago, but the consequences are now arriving at full scale.

Women in the Trades: LIUNA Local 607 Expands the Pipeline

Nieweglowski said women are a critical component of the solution.

In a membership of about 1,000, he reported that Local 607 currently has five female members. To change that, the Local ran a women-only training course, graduating 24 participants.

He also noted that additional female apprentices are expected to enter the workforce, with the Local planning to repeat the program to build sustained momentum.

Indigenous Communities Want Union Strength on Their Projects

Nieweglowski said indigenous workers and communities are interested in union membership for practical reasons.

As contractors and companies enter First Nations territories for mining and related development, communities want assurance they will not be sidelined. Union representation, he said, provides structure and strength to support fair participation and local inclusion.

He also emphasized that the opportunity extends beyond physical labor alone. Mining and infrastructure projects require administrative roles, personnel functions and other operational skills. For remote communities, workers with local knowledge may be better positioned to relocate and work effectively in northern conditions.

What Comes Next for Training and Recruitment

For Local 607, the next phase is about execution: scaling training capacity, expanding partnerships, and building supports that make participation possible.

Northern Ontario’s construction outlook is strong, but workforce growth must be intentional, Nieweglowski said. That means recruiting Indigenous students and women into the trades, addressing education and housing barriers and ensuring the union has enough experienced workers to train the next wave.

In a region where projects are large and distances long, the union’s approach is built around a simple principle: if the work is coming, local people should be ready to do it—and benefit from the opportunities.

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