Climbing Higher: Our Journey to GWO Training in Ontario

The Vision

At Safety Guys, we’ve always believed great training is built with intention, investment, and the right partners. Over the past few months, we’ve been working on something behind the scenes that will shape the future of our company and create new opportunities for Ontario’s trades workforce: our GWO Basic Safety Training program.

​Partnering with MCL Height Safety: We’re proud to be working with MCL Height Safety, one of Canada’s leaders in wind energy and advanced fall protection. Through this partnership, Safety Guys will be recognized as an authorized MCL training provider of GWO Basic Safety Training, bringing internationally recognized training to Eastern Ontario. This is a major step into renewable-energy training and a chance to prepare workers for a rapidly growing industry.

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Above: Alex Cappon of Safety Guys completing GWO training in Alberta

the journey

Train the Trainer: To make sure our program meets the GWO standard from day one, instructor Alex Cappon spent a full week training hands-on with MCL Height Safety in Alberta. He returned with advanced rescue skills, a deeper understanding of wind turbine systems, and a clear vision of what high-quality training looks like when lives depend on it.

Our New 25-Foot Training Tower: A huge thank-you to Willis Manufacturing for designing and installing our new 25-foot tower and custom training structure. Built for real-world challenges, it includes vertical ladder systems, controlled climbs and descents, realistic rescue scenarios, and turbine-style anchor points. This tower represents the craftsmanship and care we expect in every course we deliver.

Investing in the Best Equipment: To match global best practices, we’ve outfitted the program with industry-leading gear:

• Petzl  harnesses
• Premium helmets and lanyards
• New training dummies for realistic scenarios
• Certified rescue kits designed for turbine environments

If we’re asking workers to trust their equipment in extreme conditions, we believe in giving them the very best.

What’s Next...

 In the coming weeks, we’ll be finalizing:

• our GWO course schedule
• the full layout of each module
• booking options for individuals and companies

​We’ll share updates as we get closer to launch, but today we simply want to honour the progress, the teamwork, and the shared purpose behind this project. This is a big step for our company – and a meaningful one for the workers who will climb safer because of it.

If you want early access to course dates, send us a message – we’d love to keep you in the loop.