Province announces more than $1-million in funding for northern Ontario jobs training
The construction sector in northern Ontario got a big boost this morning as Labour Minister Monte McNaughton announced more than $1-million in two projects that will provide free training.
The first investment will include $582,000 for the Northern Centre for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) to train 20 participants with the skills they need to build things like roads, move minerals and harvest forests.
Those applicants are being encouraged to apply to Thunder Bay and will largely benefit those from the North Bay and Thunder Bay areas.
The second involves $467,500 to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local Union 1687 (IBEW 1687) to train 625 electrical workers across Northern and First Nations communities. Those workers will be trained in Sudbury.
It's all part of a $115-million skills development fund to address labour shortages.
"These workers are doing extraordinary things, like they have throughout our history, and they will bring us back stronger than ever," said McNaughton.
According to the government, there were 13,380 job vaccines in the construction sector during the first quarter of 2021 and the minister says 2,000 of those jobs are in Northern Ontario.
"We are working every single day to fill that skills gap, this is obviously one step in that, 645 workers to help fill that skills gap of over 2,000 positions in skilled trade jobs," said the minister.
NORCAT CEO Don Duval says this is big news for northern Ontario and its economy.
"There's a strong desire to wanting to contribute to your community's economic and social prosperity, these at-risk individuals who just need an opportunity to you know have access to a pool of capital that will enable them to have the skills to get the credentials they need for these well paying, in-demand jobs that are not only a job but they're great stepping stones to a meaningful career in their communities so we couldn't be more excited and proud," said Duval.
NORCAT'S training program will be offered from September 13 to December 3, 2021. According to the provincial government, the average hourly wage for an industrial electrician in Ontario in 2020 was $35.47 while it was $31.35 for a heavy equipment operator (excluding cranes).
The minister was also asked during his time in Sudbury to respond to criticism over Ontario's lack of a vaccine certificate.
And that without one, it could lead to another shutdown as COVID-19 numbers start to increase under a fourth wave.
"I mean we have a world-leading jurisdiction in terms of vaccination rates, we're going to continue to ensure that people continue to go out and get vaccinated. One of the actions I took was to bring in a comprehensive plan, three paid sick days, that's 21 sick days in all and workers across Ontario can use those three days to go out, get vaccinated and recover from vaccinations," said the minister.
Ontario's neighbours, Manitoba and Quebec, have already both started to implement their own passport programs.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.