Insights

Market commentary and hiring insight on the skilled-trades, heavy-duty and industrial maintenance talent market across Canada.

• Out of Province Technicians Can Start in Your Bay in 10 Business Days

  Ontario certified 725 truck and transport mechanics in 2022 and was down a net 65 of them within a year, with nobody arriving from anywhere else to replace them. Since 1 January 2026 a technician certified in any other province can be working legally in an Ontario shop inside 10 business days. What the deemed certification rules allow, and what Skilled Trades Ontario has not published yet.

• Train a 310T or Hire One: What the 2026 Numbers Say

  Ontario certified 436 Truck and Coach technicians in all of 2025. Ottawa rewrote the apprenticeship funding stack in April, two grants died the year before that, and only 19.9% of apprentices ever certify. What that means if you are deciding between training someone and hiring someone.