Ontario Construction News staff writer
It could soon get easier for workers in over 30 in-demand professions to move to Ontario with their families while continuing their careers.
Premier Doug Ford says changes, if passed, would tackle Ontario’s historic labour shortage – the largest in a generation – by allowing out-of-province workers to register in their regulated profession or trade within 30 days.
“It’s never been more important that we attract more workers to fill in-demand jobs,” Ford said. “We’re cutting red tape to make it easier for skilled professionals from across Canada to get the papers they need to work in Ontario, faster. This move opens more doors for workers to call Ontario home while contributing to our plan to build more roads, bridges, highways, homes and public transit.”
If new legislation is passed, workers arriving in Ontario from other provinces will have credentials processed within 30 business days, making it easier to move to the province, fill vacant in-demand jobs and drive economic growth.
“I keep hearing from businesses who can’t find the workers they need to grow,” said Monte McNaughton, minister of labour, training and skills development. “There are hundreds of thousands of paycheques waiting to be collected and we want more skilled professionals and tradespeople to come here.”
Also, the province is also working towards making it easier for workers who have completed fall protection training in another province to come to work in Ontario. This would include allowing them to start to work immediately after completing a refresher course from an accredited Ontario provider.
There are 144 trades currently prescribed under skilled trades legislation in Ontario.
