WATCH: Ontario spends nearly $10M on skills training as manufacturers brace for Trump tariffs

TORONTO — Ontario manufacturers and exporters remain on high alert after U.S. President Donald Trump delayed new 50% tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of Canadian goods by three days, even as the provincial government announced more than $9.8 million in new skills-development spending aimed at preparing workers for the fallout.Labour Minister David Piccini made the announcement Tuesday at the YMCA Power Trades Development Centre in Ottawa during the Association of Municipalities of Ontario conference. The funding, part of the sixth round of the Skills Development Fund, will support six training projects expected to reach nearly 1,250 workers and jobseekers in construction, energy, marine transport, automotive, and related sectors.Of that total, $1.8 million will go to the YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region to train and upskill 280 people for careers in construction and building retrofitting.Piccini framed the expenditure as a direct response to external pressure. “US tariffs and global economic uncertainty are testing the strength of our economy and the resilience of our communities,” he said. “In moments like these, leadership matters, and we need to take decisive action to protect Ontario’s workers and our economy.”.He added that Ontario will need to train more than 400,000 additional workers in skilled-trades-related occupations over the next decade to support the government’s $236 billion “plan to build.”The short tariff pause buys limited time for negotiators but does little to ease uncertainty for Ontario’s auto, manufacturing, electronics, and forestry sectors.When asked about potential job losses, Piccini acknowledged a “significant” impact — citing workers at Algoma in Sault Ste. Marie, wood fabricating, and the automotive sector — but offered no Ottawa-specific numbers. He pivoted to domestic strengths such as critical minerals, nuclear power, and marine industries, saying Ontario “doesn’t need any country’s permission” to develop them.The Skills Development Fund, however, carries a troubled record. Last year the province’s auditor general found that the selection and disbursement of money from the $2.5-billion fund was “not fair, transparent or accountable.” More than half of the applications approved by the minister’s office had been ranked poor, low, or medium by ministry staff, receiving roughly $742 million, while hundreds of high-ranked applications received nothing..Integrity Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell is investigating allegations from opposition parties that Piccini breached ethics rules in the handling of the fund. The government says it has made process changes for this sixth round, including requiring applicants to disclose the use of registered lobbyists.The Ford government continues to insist it is preparing for every scenario. Whether the $9.8 million delivers durable skills that keep Ontario workers employed — or simply adds another contested line item to the provincial expenditure list — will be tested in the coming weeks as the tariff deadline returns.You can watch the full press conference below:

WATCH: Ontario spends nearly $10M on skills training as manufacturers brace for Trump tariffs

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