The Ontario government says it is investing $70 million to help workers hit by U.S. tariffs and other trade policies, with new rapid-response training centres and expanded access to skills programs.
Premier Doug Ford said the funding will support the province’s Protect Ontario Workers Employment Response (POWER) Centres, as well as enhancements to Better Jobs Ontario, a program that provides job seekers with financial assistance for retraining.
“Ontario has the best workers in the world. When their livelihoods are threatened by decisions in Washington, we won’t leave them behind,” Ford said in Hamilton on Wednesday. “By investing $70 million in new training and rapid-response centres, we’re making sure that workers can retrain fast, land good-paying jobs and get back to work building a stronger, more resilient Ontario that can stand up to anything that comes our way.”
About $20 million of the investment will go toward POWER Centres, which the government says will be able to launch proactively before layoffs happen and respond within 24 hours. The centres will provide access to retraining, employment services and job search assistance through partnerships with unions, colleges and community organizations.
Labour Minister David Piccini said the plan is meant to shield workers from the ripple effects of global economic uncertainty. “We’re helping Ontario workers get the training and support they need, when they need it the most,” he said. “As we adapt to global economic shifts, our government is meeting the moment with a plan to protect our workforce and give them the training and tools they need to land secure, good-paying jobs.”
The remaining $50 million will go toward Better Jobs Ontario, which provides up to $35,000 to help cover tuition, transportation and child care costs for vocational training. The program is aimed at job seekers who may face barriers to stable work, including youth and people on social assistance.
Union leaders welcomed the announcement, saying it builds on existing supports such as job action centres. “We are very proud of the great work our current Action Centres do, providing peer-to-peer advice and assistance to workers who lose their jobs. Each year they help over 1,000 laid-off workers,” said Kevon Stewart, director for District 6 and Atlantic Canada of the United Steelworkers. “We are very excited to see that Minister Piccini and this government are enhancing their ability to help workers through the POWER Centres program, which will not only enable us to create new Action Centres and proactively respond to upcoming layoffs, but also provide more stable funding and allow the existing Job Action Centres to provide additional services.”
The province says nearly 16,000 job seekers have received retraining support through Better Jobs Ontario since 2021, while Action Centres helped almost 15,000 workers this year alone.
