A newly launched network of Ontario community colleges is aiming to STEM tariff fallout and support economic development in the province’s mid-sized regional centres, particularly in strategic northern areas. Leadership behind the new Ontario Regional Economic Workforce and Innovation Network (OREWIN) emphasizes the importance of technical training to meet the demands of growth industries within their own communities and the broader provincial economy.

The 11 community colleges have united in response to the potential disruption of the United States government’s tariff regime. Building on the college system’s history of supplying technicians for key STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) sectors, OREWIN members commend the Ontario government’s planned expansion of STEM and skilled trades training capacity and investment in new infrastructure projects. OREWIN members have pledged to work collectively to maximize the value of that spending.

“Together we can strengthen the industries that drive Ontario’s economy — like forestry, agriculture, mining and renewable energy — while training skilled labour and supporting local businesses as they explore new production methods, enhance efficiency and compete in new markets,” says George Burton, president of Canadore College in North Bay, ON, and OREWIN’s first chair.

Other participating colleges with main campuses in northern Ontario, include: Confederation College, Thunder Bay; Sault College, Sault Ste. Marie; Northern College, Timmins; and Cambrian College and Collège Boréal in Sudbury. Elsewhere in the province, Loyalist College, Belleville; St. Lawrence College, Kingston; Fleming College, Peterborough; Lambton College, Sarnia; and Collège La Cité, Ottawa are also part of the network.