Premier Ford arrives in Burlington to announce funding for skilled workers

Using the backdrop of Burlington’s boilermaker training centre, Premier Doug Ford today (June 21) announced an influx of $224 million in funding to address Ontario’s labour shortage.

The funds will go towards building and upgrading training centres across the province to help meet the need for skilled trades.

The Province expects the new training centres and the upgrades to existing facilities to be stocked with state-of-the-art equipment and technology along with qualified teaching staff.

“This new program will help boost the province’s training infrastructure, providing more people opportunities to learn new skills and advance their careers into good-paying, in-demand jobs,” said Premier Doug Ford. “We’re taking the steps needed to create a bigger pipeline of talent to ensure we continue to have the best workforce in the world to keep attracting investments and to build Ontario.”

Funds are expected to flow to the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128 location in Burlington, but those figures have not been released.

The Boilermakers represent workers throughout Canada in industrial construction, repair, and maintenance; manufacturing; shipbuilding and marine repair; railroads; mining and quarrying; cement kilns; and related industries.

Monte McNaughton, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, said the province faces the largest labour shortage in a generation and that every day roughly 300,000 jobs are going unfilled,

In addition, Ontario expects to expand apprenticeship opportunities to future boilermakers through $535,000 of new funds. Led by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local 128, the funds for these free programs will provide 1,350 participants with the opportunity to explore careers as boilermakers, which can pay up to $38 an hour.