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Monte McNaughton

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Ontario Trying Attract More Skilled Workers

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The province is making it easier for skilled trade workers to move to Ontario.

Minister of Labor, Training, and Skills Development Monte McNaughton says they are cutting red tape to make that happen.

“To be competitive we must cut the red tape holding back our workers and put them in the driver’s seat,” says McNaughton.

“This is why Ontario will be recognizing all Red Seal trades. Why we’re making it easier for workers who are trained to work at heights, to do so here.”

Premier Doug Ford says the legislation will allow skilled workers to move to Ontario and get certified within a month.

“These changes would help workers in over 30 in-demand professions move here with their families, by ensuring out-of-province workers can register in their regulated profession or trade within 30 days.”

Ford says Ontario has over 300 thousand jobs that need to be filled and at least one union has indicated they have 20 thousand jobs available for Ukrainian refugees.

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Province Provides Funding For Local PSW Training

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The province is making $10.6 million available to train 500 personal support workers and other health care professionals in northwestern Ontario.

Labour and Skills Training Minister Monte McNaughton says each participant could receive up to $3,000.

“Costs for transportation, uniforms, equipment, and occasional child care are all covered,” states McNaughton.

“And for employers, they can receive $1,000 to offset the cost of on-the-job training.”

He adds that this project covers training, fees, and textbooks, prioritizing those who are unemployed, underemployed, or at risk of losing their jobs.

Each participant will receive a job placement in the community and ongoing support, continuing after they graduate.

Kathleen Lynch is president of Confederation College and they will be doing the training for the six-month courses.

“Confederation College will train 500 learners to be personal support workers, home and community support workers, and medical laboratory assistants and connect these trained workers with employers who urgently require their in-demand skillsets.”

Confederation College will provide the training at its campuses across northwestern Ontario.

To apply, you can email SAOhealthcare@confederationcollege.ca or call 807-475-6353.

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Teachers Unions Take The Government To Labour Relations Board

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Ontario’s Labour Minister insists the province isn’t violating the Occupational Health and Safety Act when it comes to teachers.

Monte McNaughton says the province is taking the proper precautions for a safe return to school.

“Employers have to protect their workers from hazards on the job, as well as infectious diseases, like COVID-19,” explains McNaughton.

“We’ve had great success in the Province of Ontario in thousands and thousands of workplaces in doing that and we’re going to do that in schools as well.”

The four major teachers unions are taking the province to the Ontario Labour Relations Board because they say the Ministry of Labor failed to respond to them about the health and safety standards at publically funded school.

Premier Doug Ford admits he’s frustrated by the actions of the teacher’s unions.

“You wanted ventilation…we got ventilation. You wanted more money for teachers…we got more money for the teachers. We went out and got the reserves…we have more cleaning. We basically covered every single list. And I’m just asking once, for your co-operation.”

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Ontario Releases Guidelines For Businesses

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The provincial government is giving more information to businesses on what they should be doing to ensure they will be ready to open once it’s deemed safe to do so.

Minister of Labour Monte McNaughton says they’ve provided guidelines that are specific to each industry.

“We would anticipate that businesses would follow these best practices and that our inspectors would be out proactively communicating how to implement them and at some point enforcing some of the measures in the Occupational Health and Safety Act,” McNaughton said.

The government safety guidelines released today will provide direction to those working in manufacturing, food manufacturing and processing, restaurant and foodservice, and the agricultural sector. These measures build on more than 60 guidelines developed by Ontario’s health and safety associations in response to COVID-19 for various sectors such as retail, health care, construction, transportation, police services, firefighters, and transit employees.

These new sector-specific guidelines feature recommended actions employers can begin to plan for as they prepare to adapt to the new reality during COVID-19, including:

  • Ways to ensure appropriate physical distancing, like eliminating pay-at-the-door options, holding team meetings outdoors, staggering shift times and using ground markings and barriers to manage traffic flow.
  • Changes to the workplace, like installing plexiglass barriers, increasing the air intake on building heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to increase airflow, and using boot sanitizing trays.
  • Promoting proper workplace sanitation, providing personal protective equipment, substituting dry dusting with vacuuming, ensuring customer-facing staff are given hand sanitizer, providing a place to dispose of sanitizing wipes, and enforcing handwashing before and after breaks.

Starting this week, 58 new inspectors will join the hundreds of existing provincial labour inspectors on the ground.