Facing an urgent labour shortage in construction that threatens its ambitious housing and infrastructure plans, the Ontario government is unveiling a new employer portal it says will fast-track skilled immigrant applications and get workers on job sites faster.
Labour and Immigration Minister David Piccini announced the move this Monday as part of the government’s next Working for Workers legislation. The package also includes accelerated development for training centres, new anti-fraud tools for job ads, and streamlined workplace safety requirements.
The announcement comes amid an one-two punch of longer waits in processing time for skilled foreign workers applying to come to Ontario through the province’s program, the OINP, and fewer spots given to Ontario by the federal government.