Ontario Helping Workers Access Skills Training Faster

 The Ontario government will soon introduce a series of proposed changes to protect workers, including cutting red tape to accelerate the construction of Skills Development Fund (SDF) training centres at a time when these centres are needed to support workers impacted by U.S. tariffs and economic uncertainty. The government is also proposing a number of other measures that would support workers, including workers who are directly impacted by tariff-related layoffs or other disruptions.

“Ontario workers are counting on us to have their backs by helping them access the skills training they need to stay on the job, despite the impact of U.S. tariffs,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “We’re making sure our $2.5 billion investment in SDF is going directly to the workers who need it most and we will continue fighting to protect Ontario workers no matter what comes our way.”

To ensure Ontario builds a competitive and resilient workforce that is ready for whatever comes the province’s way, the proposed legislative and regulatory amendments would exempt training centres supported by the SDF Capital Stream from certain permit and approval requirements that can slow down construction and impede Ontario’s ability to quickly build essential training facilities. By exempting these projects from certain items related to the land use planning system, while maintaining health and safety focused permits and approvals such as those under the Ontario Building Code and the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, training partners will be able to get these centres built and start training workers faster.

Other proposed changes to support workers include:

• Requiring job posting platforms to have mechanisms to report fraudulent job advertisements to ensure workers are not exploited throughout their pursuit of work.
• Keeping workers on the job by eliminating unnecessary barriers for construction projects required to implement Chief Prevention Officer (CPO)-accredited health and safety management systems as part of the procurement process. This will increase competition and accelerate project timelines.
• Allowing Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (ONIP) employer applicants to submit their applications directly and electronically to the new ONIP employer portal that will launch in Summer 2025.

The proposal is part of a larger proposed package that will expand on the ground-breaking actions across six previous Working for Workers Acts since 2021 and which will be unveiled in the coming days. This latest package will help protect Ontario workers and the economy for the long-term, create safer workplaces for a stronger workforce and fight worker abuse by cracking down on bad actors. This is all part of our plan to protect Ontario by supporting workers, cutting red tape and making Ontario the most competitive place in the G7 to invest, create jobs and do business.

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