Ontario Premier Doug Ford visited Heddle Shipyards in Hamilton to mark the company's new contract with Seaspan to make ship components under the National Shipbuilding Strategy.
Over the next decade, Heddle Shipyards will be the primary supplier for ladders, gratings and handrails for the JSS 1 (currently under construction), JSS 2, and an Offshore Oceanographic Science Vessel.
These components will be manufactured at facilities in Hamilton, St. Catharines, and Thunder Bay.
The projects will generate tens of millions of dollars in economic activity in Ontario, employ at least 50 workers, and create the potential for additional opportunities, such as supplying larger ship modules in the future.
Seaspan and Heddle have also partnered to bid on the construction of the Polar Icebreaker for the Canadian Coast Guard.
If won, Heddle will support the construction through its modular fabrication program.
"I want to congratulate Heddle Shipyards on this long-term agreement, as it cements Ontario's position as one of the best places in the country for major manufacturers to compete, succeed, and grow," said Premier Ford. "This historic partnership with Seaspan will create highly skilled, well-paying jobs in communities across the province, contribute to the construction of quality, Ontario-made components for these ships, and reinforce Hamilton's status as a critical transportation hub in the province."