Hindered by a shortage of skilled labour, Premier Doug Ford is earmarking as much as $260 million for employers and unions to train workers.
Ford said Monday he was boosting the province’s “skills development fund” in order to help fill some of the nearly 300,000 available jobs in Ontario.
“By continuing to … make these important investments, we are also tackling Ontario’s labour shortage and bringing back good-paying jobs in manufacturing and the skilled trades,” the premier told reporters Monday in Kitchener.
Ford said starting July 29, municipalities, hospitals, private companies, labour unions, community organizations, Indigenous groups and training providers can apply to tap in to the funding to tackle their employment needs.
This latest cash infusion brings to $1.4 billion the amount Queen’s Park has spent on skills training subsidies since 2021.
In those three years, the government said the program has helped train nearly 600,000 people, including 36,000 health care and personal support workers, some 66,000 in construction and more than 92,000 in manufacturing.
Ford said the money is “helping connect workers here in Kitchener and across the province to better jobs and bigger paycheques.”
Karen Renkema, Ontario vice-president of the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada, said the funding “has been a game changer for the construction industry.”
“The funds have enabled innovative training partnerships, pathways and programs that have served to attract and support many new participants into the skilled trades,” said Renkema.
One of the many challenges Ford’s government has had trying to get housing built in Ontario is the dearth of skilled tradespeople.
The premier has promised to have 1.5 million new homes built by 2031, but housing starts are falling well short of his targets.
