A $3.3-billion federal contract was awarded to Vancouver Shipyards to build ten new non-combat vessels for the Canadian Coast Guard. This project is in addition to seven other non-combat vessels that were planned to be built after the Shipyard was granted $8-million.
This new contract will effectively bring up to 1,000 new skilled trades jobs to Vancouver, including welding, pipe fitting, electrical, and mechanical.
Currently there is approximately 150 workers in Vancouver Shipyard’s workforce, and this number is expected to grow to 1,000 in the next couple of years. With that many workers, as many as three ships could be worked on at the same time. It is expected that the shipbuilders will make about $47 an hour.
The new contract is not only a good thing for Vancouver Shipyard’s but it will also be an asset to the city itself, as the surge of new jobs will ultimately boost the local economy.
