September 2, 2026
Source: ThoroldToday
By Richard Hutton
A Thorold company is among the first group of Canadian companies to receive funding from Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) as it begins the process that will end with the German company supplying a new fleet of submarines to the Royal Canadian Navy.
Destiny Copper recycles manufacturing waste into copper powder out of its facility in the Thorold Multimodal Hub on Davis Road. That powder can be used in the construction of the new subs, said Greg Hanna, founder and CEO of the company.
“It is used in all sorts of different aspects of defence, including on the marine side as an additive in paint coatings that stops barnacles growing on ships and submarines,” he said.
He’s not sure at this point, though, how or if the product will actually be used. Rather, TKMS is making an investment in the neighbourhood of $100 million over the next five years to help the company continue to develop its processes. The investments fall under the Industrial and Technological Benefits policy, which requires foreign companies awarded defence contracts to invest back into Canada on a dollar-for-dollar basis, matching the total contract value.
When he announced in July that TKMS had been chosen as the preferred supplier for the new submarines, Prime Minister Mark Carney said the cost will not be made public until the deal with TKMS is finalized. That is expected to be complete by the end of 2027.
“The investments into Destiny are for us to expand and develop on the innovation that we have developed here,” Hanna said. “We’ve spent many years refining (our) process and getting it to the stage that it is at, but there’s still a lot of innovation and then a lot of growth to really ramp up supply.”
That process involves extracting “99.9 per cent pure” copper powder from industrial waste using the company’s proprietary “cleantech” chemistry, rather than by smelting, according to information on its website.
As for the government, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said Carney was not aware of the specifics of the deal between TKMS and Destiny.
The spokesperson referred ThoroldToday to remarks made by the prime minister last month when TKMS was chosen as the supplier for the submarines, where he called the purchase of 12 submarines “the largest defence procurement in our nation’s history,” adding that the new fleet will help Canada secure its coastlines and waters.
“Their construction will have enormous, lasting benefits for Canadian industries and workers,” he said. “Together with our German and Norwegian allies, we will build at speed and scale to expand our strategic capabilities and create greater strategic autonomy.”
Locally, it will also mean more jobs. Hanna said the investment could add as many as 100 jobs at Destiny Copper.
But it’s not just Destiny that will benefit, he said.
“There’s potentially 50 to 200 jobs outside of Destiny Copper with all our suppliers and all the engineering firms that we’re purchasing from and all of that below us,” Hanna said.
That’s the kind of news Thorold Mayor Terry Ugulini likes to hear. He learned of the contract when he toured Destiny’s facility with Niagara West MPP Sam Oosterhoff.
“I’m really excited about where they’re heading,” Ugulini said. “It also means more jobs, it’s great for the Thorold Multimodal Hub because it just keeps growing.”
It is also good for the city as a whole, he added.
“The multimodal hub has really put the city on the map because it’s internationally recognized,” Ugulini said. “As well, people are starting to see the impact and the growth on those industrial properties, so it’s an exciting time.”
The first four of TKMS’ 212CD submarines are expected to be delivered by 2034, Carney said during the Halifax announcement.
According to the government, the subs feature ultra-low acoustic and magnetic signatures and “is one of the stealthiest submarines in the world”.
Suitable for Arctic patrol, the submarines will allow the navy to “detect, track, deter and, if necessary, defeat adversaries in all three oceans bordering Canada”.
The procurement will also bolster Canadian security through a platform shared with Germany and Norway.