Ottawa tabs $19.5M for defence-sector firms

Beards and hijabs are sometimes hard to fit in standard military protective equipment.

Rob Ranson and his team at Win-Shield Devices have been creating tactical masks for personnel with these considerations. Interest is growing, Ranson said.

Including from the federal government: Ottawa announced $3.5 million for Win-Shield Devices, a Winnipeg-based firm, on Friday.

It was part of a $19.5 million package for local companies. Magellan Aerospace and StandardAero are receiving $8 million each to expand operations, with output directed to military and civilians.

“We are entering (an) unprecedented era of defence,” Northern and Arctic Affairs Minister Rebecca Chartrand said upon announcing the money in Winnipeg. “We need investments to support that.”

The funding comes through Ottawa’s $379.2 million regional defence investment initiative. The program falls under a national defence industrial strategy, unveiled in February.

Win-Shield Devices — among the first Manitoba recipients — is working on a number of projects for the Canadian military, Ranson said. He declined to share details.

His company has a background in personal protective equipment: it made face and head shields for health-care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Canadian military will likely be able to buy new Win-Shield products by the end of 2026, Ranson estimated.

Ottawa’s funding erases his need to raise private equity.

“It gives us the runway to do things right,” he said. “Buying the right equipment, setting up the right manufacturing facility.”

He expects to double Win-Shield’s 16-person team by next April, and he’s scouring Winnipeg for a facility. Win-Shield engineers have been using North Forge’s fabrication lab.

The $19.5 million should create more than 150 jobs and also maintain at least 100, Chartrand said.

Magellan Aerospace is expanding through a phased approach — one that could see 50 new staffers over the next five years, said Ron Drepaul, general manager of Winnipeg operations.

Magellan is making an advanced machining centre at 660 Berry St., its established hub. The new centre will support the creation of F404 and F414 engines, which end up in Boeing and Saab fighter aircraft, Drepaul said.

He anticipates renovations to end by 2028.

StandardAero is adding 70,000 square feet to its St. James campus. It does maintenance, repairs and overhauls of gas turbine engines and accessories; the $8 million will cover new equipment and technology integration.

StandardAero has hired 60 employees, including mechanics and inspectors, since last year. The provincial government funnelled $3 million into the expansion in 2025.

“When we cut the ribbon and we can inhabit the building, it will further accelerate … the number of new jobs,” said Chad Flowers, vice-president and general manager for StandardAero.

The $6-billion company began in Winnipeg 115 years ago. It counts more than 1,500 Manitoba employees and has locations internationally.

Manitoba’s aerospace sector accounted for at least $414 million of the province’s gross domestic product in 2024, Manitoba Aerospace shared.

Chief executive Wendell Wiebe said he suspects the industry makes close to $2 billion in sales annually. It generated $1.7 billion in 2023.

Still, more government funding is needed to boost Manitoba’s defence sector contributions, Wiebe said: “Companies need to grow their capacity.”

“On the defence side, all you need to do is look around. You’ve got Russia, China. You’ve got the war, U.S. and Iran,” Wiebe said. “We need to be prepared so that we have the resources here that can be a deterrent.”

An increased desire for air travel has bolstered the local industry, which employs at least 5,000 people, Wiebe added.

Last week, Boeing publicized its own $36 million investment for research and development in Winnipeg.

Ottawa’s regional defence investment initiative will accept applications until the end of 2027, or when funding runs out.

Andrea Ladouceur is eyeing money for Manitoba’s biosciences industry. Medical elements — such as wound care and countermeasures to wartime exposures — could be funded through the program.

There are Manitoba manufacturers for that, said Ladouceur, president of Bioscience Association Manitoba.

“Nothing to share yet,” she added. “We’ve got good engagement with the feds, good engagement with the province.”

Premier Wab Kinew and a delegation of business groups travelled to Ottawa last week. Part of their focus was promoting the province’s aerospace and bioscience sectors.

Mayor Scott Gillingham, who attended the Friday announcement, has been promoting Winnipeg’s “sky economy” — aviation, aerospace and defence.

He and private-sector leads expect 17 Wing, an air force base in Winnipeg, to see more personnel in the coming years.

The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce has told defence department officials the city is open to military families, president Loren Remillard said.

He’s aiming to connect family members with job openings, though details are being worked out. If done correctly, it could be “that proverbial win-win scenario,” he said.

A spokesperson for Canada’s defence department couldn’t confirm how many new personnel will be posted in Manitoba. The size of the Canadian Armed Forces is increasing, with a plan to hit 71,500 regular force members and 30,000 in the reserves, they said.

Manitoba is also home to the North American Aerospace Defense Command’s Canadian headquarters.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com