$3.9M in skilled trades funding to help women, domestic violence survivors: Ontario

Ontario says it’s spending nearly $3.9 million across four training projects intended to help women, including survivors of domestic violence, train for in-demand skilled trade careers.

More than half of that Skills Development Fund money is earmarked for Women’s Crisis Services of Waterloo Region to help 42 women who are survivors of gender-based violence train to be carpenters and machine mechanics, among other trades.

The government says it has tightened oversight of the $2.5-billion fund after a scathing October 2025 audit found its selection process was neither fair nor transparent.

The province’s auditor general found Labour Minister David Piccini’s office was heavily involved in the process, doling out money to low-ranked applications without explanation, including dozens that had hired lobbyists.

The government says the new oversight measures include lobbyist disclosures and more rigorous project evaluation.

Among the fund recipients highlighted today is a Toronto emergency shelter that got more than $900,000 to help 100 survivors of gender-based violence train as HVAC technicians gas fitters and in other construction-related trades.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 2, 2026.

The Canadian Press