Governments of Canada and Ontario celebrate Canada Job Grant success

• On average, private-sector forecasters expect employment in Ontario to grow by 1.3 percent per year by 2017. Over the past three years, employment has increased by an annual average of 1.1 percent in Ontario.
• By 2017–18, over $115 million per year will be available for the Canada Job Grant in Ontario.
• Ontario is currently accepting employer applications for the Canada Job Grant..

Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development, and the Reza Moridi, Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities, along with Mark Adler, Member of Parliament for York Centre, and Mario Sergio, Member of Provincial Parliament for York West,  announced that 9,000 workers in Ontario are receiving training thanks to funding provided through the Canada Job Grant. Approximately 1,600 employers have been approved for funding under the Canada Job Grant in Ontario.

The announcement took place at Satin Finish Hardwood Flooring, a manufacturing company with 150 employees in Toronto. The company is a successful Ontario recipient of funding that will train eight employees on software for inventory control and production scheduling, helping the company become more automated and efficient, saving time and money. This training will create better jobs and a stronger workforce within Satin Finish Hardwood Flooring, allowing the company to become more diverse and competitive, with the potential for significant growth.

The Canada Job Grant is an innovative, employer-driven approach to help Canadians gain the skills and training they need to fill available jobs. It is designed to be flexible enough to meet the needs of businesses of all sizes, in all industries and regions. By requiring employers to invest in training costs, the Canada Job Grant will result in skills training that leads to guaranteed jobs.

“It’s imperative that Ontario continue to develop a workforce with the right skills and knowledge for the new economy. That’s why we’ve worked with Ontario’s job creators to maximize the flexibility and effectiveness of the Canada–Ontario Job Grant and other job training programs. I’m pleased to see that employers have responded so positively, because Ontario’s economy is stronger when everyone has the opportunity to find work and contribute to the province’s growth”, said Reza Moridi, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities

Under the Canada Job Grant in Ontario, the federal government provides two-thirds of total eligible training costs, up to $10,000, for expenses such as tuition, textbooks and student fees, and the Ontario government delivers the program. Employers are required to contribute the remaining one-third of these training costs, while small businesses have additional flexibility to make an in-kind contribution towards their share of the cost through wages paid to the training participant.

“The Canada Job Grant is taking skills training choices out of the hands of government and putting them where they belong: in the hands of employers and Canadians who want to work. By having employers directly involved in training decisions, the Canada Job Grant will lead to guaranteed jobs and will help businesses grow and succeed. And that is good news for the Canadian economy,’ said  Pierre Poilievre, Minister of Employment and Social Development.