The Ontario government is investing nearly $27 million through two funding streams to help train carpenters across the province.

The funding will expand training programs and support the construction of a new carpenter training facility in Sudbury and expand four existing facilities in London, Windsor, Cambridge and Ottawa to train an additional 2,600 carpenters and construction workers.

“In the face of tariff threats to Ontario workers and jobs, it’s more important than ever that we keep investing in our workers, so they have the skills and training they need to succeed,” said Premier Doug Ford. “Today’s investment will help more than 2,600 workers find rewarding careers in the skilled trades, so they can secure better jobs and bigger paycheques in communities across Ontario.”

Five locals of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA) will receive up to $13 million in funding to train an additional 1,175 carpenters through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream:

• UBCJA Local 2486 is receiving $3,192,261 for the construction of a new training centre in Sudbury that will create training and career opportunities for people from Northern and Indigenous communities.
• UBCJA Local 494 is receiving $1,806,028 for a two-story addition to their existing training centre in Windsor that will create new shop and office spaces and approximately 5,612 sq. ft. of training space.
• UBCJA Local 1946 is receiving $1,181,608 for an expansion project in London that will include a 5,300 sq. ft. addition to their existing facility for carpentry and drywalling.
• UBCJA Local 785 is receiving $3,492,683 to expand their facility in Cambridge by approximately 60 per cent. The expansion would include more training floorspace, add four larger classrooms, a full functioning shop, washrooms, an exercise room and a meeting hall.
• UBCJA Training Centre Local 93 in Ottawa is receiving $3,203,651 for the expansion of their existing facility.

Ontario is also investing up to $14 million through the SDF Training Stream to support the expansion of UBCJA’s Carpenters' Regional Council Workforce Development Program to include other industries, such as manufacturing and health care workers.

The program will train up to 1,450 carpenters by bringing together UBCJA locals and training centres, employers and key community partners to develop a resilient workforce and empower workers with barriers to education and meaningful employment.

"This historic investment will expand on our existing programs to build on their success, further developing a productive and highly skilled workforce to meet the province’s infrastructure and housing needs,” said Jason Rowe, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Carpenters’ Regional Council. “Further, new specialized programs for health care and industrial workers will extend our commitment to training beyond construction into other high-demand sectors of Ontario’s economy."

Over the next decade, Ontario is expected to need more than 500,000 workers to fill job openings in skilled trades-related occupations.

The government says these projects announced today are examples of how it is partnering with labour organizations, employers and local organizations through the SDF to increase their capacity to train and upskill workers for in-demand careers in the trades across key industries.

Since its launch in 2023, Ontario’s SDF Capital Stream has been supporting renovation and construction projects that aim to help almost 225,000 workers train for in-demand sectors.