THUNDER BAY – Premier Doug Ford came to Thunder Bay on Thursday to announce that his government is “spreading the wealth across the region.”
The announcement was made at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 402 office and training centre, where Ford announced a total of $4 million to six organizations in the region through the province's skills development fund to advance their skilled trade programs.
“When we're looking at the (skills development fund), we put about a billion dollars in, and nothing has gone further than that, so we increased it to $2.5 billion. It's so important that we get people trained for the future. I'd love to see women in the trades, and we're seeing more and more women in the trades, which is incredible,” Ford said.
Behind the Wheel, a driving school in the city, received $960,190 to improve its driver’s education program with enhanced virtual and simulator training. The funding will also provide training for 10 Indigenous communities in the region.
A local construction workers' union, LiUNA Local 607, is getting $920,825 to train more women in the construction industry. Workers will receive training on core technical skills for residential construction.
Another union, IBEW Local 402, is receiving $805,182 to train aspiring electricians with on-the-job experience, with a focus on the industrial and mining sectors in Northwestern Ontario.
IBEW Local 402 union leader Steve McKeown told Newswatch the funding will make “all the difference in us being able to run these programs.”
The funding helps boost the union’s apprenticeship program, McKeown said.
“We actually have TDA (training delivery agent) status through the Ministry of Labour to provide in-school training, no different than what Confederation College provides for skilled trades. So, we do it for network cabling specialists, as well as our upcoming construction and maintenance program, which is going to start in August,” McKeown said.
“This is more of an offshoot of this. This is a way to get people into the system, get them registered as an apprentice, get them they're moving forward, and set them up with the skills that they need to succeed.”
Approximately 100 new skilled tradespeople have been through the program over the last couple of years, "with a fairly high success rate," he said.
"I would say conservatively speaking, anywhere from 95 per cent of our apprentices follow all the way through to end up getting their certificate of qualification, which is quite staggering when you look at provincial statistics, which are significantly lower. Non-unionized trades, you're looking at about 60 per cent that finish,” McKeown said.
The Keewaytinook Okimakanak Board of Education is receiving $863,460 for its Red Seal carpentry apprenticeships and heavy-duty equipment technician training for six remote First Nations communities.
Another $530,755 is going to Ironworkers Local 759 for hands-on welding training and building upgrade, doubling that union's training facility’s capacity and equipping it with six new welding booths and modern tools.
The Millwright Local 1151 is receiving $186,130 to train workers for their certificates in the industrial and construction.
“When the premier comes here, he generally comes with some good news because he likes coming here, and the reason is we're making it easy for him to come here. With our provincial MPPs and our federal MPs pulling together, it's making this whole thing really click,” Mayor Ken Boshcoff said at the announcement.
Earlier in the day, Ford visited Thunder Bay City Hall to announce a second contribution from the Building Faster Fund to the city. The city received $880,000 to accelerate housing approvals and development.
