Sudbury-based Testmark Laboratories has put down roots in Thompson, Man.
The environmental testing lab is opening its sixth location and its first facility outside of Ontario.
The open house at their Station Road location in Thompson is scheduled for May 5.
Sylvia Rennie, Testmark’s vice-president of marketing and business research, said much time and effort went into scouting the nickel-mining community of 13,000, located 670 kilometres north of Winnipeg, before the decision was finally made to set up shop.
The move to northern Manitoba makes for a good fit for the privately held company that checked off many boxes, she said.
Rather than expand into a larger urban centre, Thompson represents an opportunity to make a big splash in a place that could sorely use their type of service and expertise, she said.
Over the years, Testmark management had heard many times there was a huge need for an environmental testing lab in the area.
Like the company’s other locations in Northern Ontario, Thompson is considered a regional hub for a number of neighbouring communities, including several First Nations.
Rennie said they’ve been welcomed by senior city officials, including its CAO, who have devoted considerable time taking them on tours of the community.
“They just really wanted us there,” she said. “It’s a two-way street being in these northern communities.
“They know if we bring a lab there, it’s critical infrastructure that they don’t have and this can leverage further economic growth in the area.”
Established in 1998, Testmark has expanded from a single facility in the Sudbury community of Garson to lab space in Kirkland Lake, Timmins, Mississauga and Thunder Bay. Its combined workforce today stands at more than 120.
The company runs highly specialized lab testing facilities that are held international standards and are subject to blind auditing. Rennie said they are in the final stages of securing its ISO 17025 accreditation to operate in Thompson, which they hope to have in place by mid-June.
In northern Manitoba, Testmark will be in a field of its own as many of its would-be competitors are centralized in Winnipeg.
As in Northern Ontario, Rennie said they plan to cater to clients in the mining, forestry, energy and municipal sectors. And when called upon, they can assist emergency spill response, as they did working for the Ontario government in remediation efforts in the aftermath of the Gogama train derailments in 2015.
Unfortunately, there are also opportunities to be had with many Indigenous communities nearby that are experiencing boiling water advisories and drinking water issues.
That’s why support has come from the Manitoba government’s Office of Drinking Water in the environmental and climate change ministry.
Location is important as Rennie explained environmental samples can be very time and temperature sensitive.
“You don’t have the luxury of spending one week in transit for a sample.”
Establishing a foothold in Manitoba represents a major, but undisclosed, investment for Testmark.
Easing the financial adjustment is the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, which oversees a Mineral Development Fund. Testmark was able to secure $300,000 from that fund last year to set up the lab.The proposed testing offerings for the lab will include microbiological testing, inorganics testing, a solids program and a comprehensive metals testing program.
Currently, Testmark has two full-timers on staff — including some volunteer transfers from Sudbury — and they are in the process of hiring one or two more. They hope to have five on the payroll by year’s end.
Rennie said they are confident that the facility will grow, prompting the need for more staff down the road.
Whenever they open a new lab in a new community, Rennie said there’s an emphasis on hiring local, sponsoring hockey teams and donating to local food banks.
“Our labs become the fabric of the communities that they’re in.”
She said there are opportunities for training and onboarding to see if that is something that might be attractive to local youth.
Testmark always has entry-level positions available at its locations so they’ll be looking to community colleges, high schools and Indigenous communities to fill positions.
Simply put, those with a proven aptitude for chemistry, particularly in microbiology, will be perfect candidates for their training program.
“It’s an opportunity for kids just starting out to get a feel for it.”
