Jury's Out: Skills Canada competitors await final results

May 30, 2025

Regina, Saskatchewan -- Canada's best young auto body and auto paint students are anxiously awaiting the results of the 2025 Skills Canada National Competition.

On May 29 and 30, young auto body repairers and auto painters from across Canada competed to be this year's Skills Canada champions. The winners will not be announced until the closing ceremony, which is scheduled for the evening of May 31.

According to Bill Speed, one of the auto body judges for the two-day competition, selecting the winners will not be an easy task. "I believe we have some of the strongest competitors we’ve had in years."

Fifteen competitors competed in the auto body competition, which tested secondary and post-secondary students on frame straightening, dent repair, MIG welding and panel replacement.

"Day one [in which the secondary-level students competed] went off without a hitch," said Speed, a veteran auto body and auto painting educator during a break in the action on day 2. "We have a very strong group of post-secondary competitors."

"The secondary school competitors are also doing well on the sectioning project today," he added.

Speed was joined on the judges panel by several other senior figures in the collision repair world, representing two independent shops, CSN, CARSTAR, ACX and AkzoNobel.

Winners from SCNC 2025 now have their sights set on Shanghai, where Team Canada will compete at WorldSkills 2026. Speed will also be involved in the global event, this time as a Team Canada coach.