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Ontario launches new fund to build skilled trades training centresThe Ontario government is working for workers by investing $224 million to build and upgrade training centres and help tackle the province’s historic labour shortage. Applications for the new Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream open on June 30. It will help unions, Indigenous centres, and industry associations with funding to build new training centres, or upgrade and convert existing facilities into new training centres with state-of-the-art equipment and technology. Learn more |
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Ontario providing free training for electriciansThe Ontario government is investing $2.7 million to support an innovative project to help 65 electrical workers upgrade their skills and meet the demand for qualified electricians in eastern Ontario. Led by KE Electrical, the free program will provide participants with the training needed to progress from labourer to apprentice, apprentice to journeyman, and journeyman to foreman. This will help electrical workers earn more take-home pay for themselves and their families, while tackling the critical shortage of skilled trades workers the province faces. Learn more |
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Ontario training 100 people for millwright careersThe Ontario government is investing over $364,000 to help 100 journeypersons and apprentices in Sarnia and southwestern Ontario upgrade their skills in millwrighting so they can earn bigger paycheques for themselves and their families. Led by Millwright Local 1592, the funding will also help businesses find the skilled workers they need to build and maintain the hospitals, schools, automotive plants, and other historic infrastructure investments coming to the region. Learn more |
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Ontario attracts historic number of people to skilled tradesThe Ontario government has increased apprenticeship registrations by 24 per cent in the last year – from 21,971 to 27,319 – as more people decide to pursue rewarding, well-paying careers in the skilled trades. In addition, the second year of the province’s highly popular skilled trades career fairs for students will be expanding to even more cities around the province. Learn more |
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Ontario now requires naloxone kits in at-risk workplacesThe Ontario government is now requiring at-risk employers to ensure their workplaces have a life-saving naloxone kit on hand and workers trained on how to use them. As of April, more than 1,000 free nasal spray naloxone kits have been distributed to businesses around the province through Ontario’s Workplace Naloxone Program, while businesses may also obtain their own kits. In 2022, over 2,500 people died from opioid-related causes in Ontario. Learn more | Find out if you need a kit | Learn how to comply | Free kits and training |
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Ontario launches free job training for people with disabilitiesThe Ontario government is investing $6.5 million to support five innovative projects to help more than 3,770 people with disabilities find meaningful jobs with businesses in their communities. These projects will connect jobseekers to careers in a variety of sectors, including health care, information technology, retail and hospitality. More than 2.6 million people in Ontario live with a disability, which can significantly increase risk of unemployment. Learn more |
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Ontario removing unfair work barriers for skilled newcomersThe Ontario government is leading the country with changes to help internationally-trained immigrants work in the fields they’ve studied in. After introducing historic legislation that banned regulated professions from requiring Canadian work experience in more than 30 occupations, Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) are the first association to remove it from their application criteria. This has the potential to help thousands of otherwise-qualified professionals pursue their dreams over the coming years, all while maintaining Ontario’s world-class licensing and exam requirements. Learn more |
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Ontario providing free training for auto workersThe Ontario government is investing more than $4.7 million to support two innovative projects to help over 360 people land full-time jobs in the province’s growing automotive manufacturing sector. These free programs will provide participants with skills for rewarding careers in machine operation, assembly, quality control, and logistics while also preparing automotive technicians and those interested in the industry for work in the emerging electric vehicle field. Learn more |
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Ministry inspections in JuneAs part of the ministry’s planned health and safety campaign schedule for 2023-24, occupational health and safety inspectors will begin visiting workplaces across the province on June 1 to check for: Learn more |
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Regulatory changes coming into force July 1Recent changes to the Construction Projects Regulation will come into force on July 1. These changes improve hygiene requirements by:
Recent amendments to the Mines and Mining Plants Regulation also come into force on either July 1, 2023, or Sept.1, 2023. These changes will better protect workers’ health and safety in the mining industry, reflect current technology, update industry standards, ensure regulations are easier to understand and follow, and to implement recommendations from Coroner’s Jury inquests. Changes that come into force on July 1 include requirements for independently powered conveyances for transporting workers and enhance safety for surface ladderways. Changes that come into force on September 1:
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Chief Prevention Officer accredits chemistry industry Responsible Care program under SOSEThe ministry’s Supporting Ontario’s Safe Employers (SOSE) program now recognizes the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) Responsible Care program as an accredited occupational health and safety management system (OHMS). The Chief Prevention Officer congratulated CIAC members at their May 31 meeting and spoke about this Canada-born, global initiative being amongst the best OHSMSs in the world. Accrediting a program under SOSE benefits employers by:
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Proposed changes to the Ontario Fire CodeThe Ministry of the Solicitor General is inviting public comment on proposed changes for the next edition of the Ontario Fire Code. Proposed updates to the 2023 Ontario Fire Code focus on changes that:
Submit your feedback |
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Pay Equity Office: Level the Paying Field, Season 2Exploring topics related to economics, equity, women, work and wage equity, in this season of Level the Paying Field, the Pay Equity Office of Ontario convenes leading experts and renowned researchers to uncover the hidden biases that contribute to unexplained pay gaps. The series highlights how data and research can seed meaningful conversations around gender inequality and drive change. Join the Pay Equity Office in elevating the equity conversation to make the world a more equitable place for women to work, live and thrive and support closing the gender wage gap. Watch the series online or listen wherever you find your podcasts. Watch the series and listen to the podcast |
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WSIAT: Searching for decisionsThe Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT) is offering virtual information sessions for representatives, parties and others on:
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CRE-MSD: Chronic pain is a different kind of injuryBody discomfort, such as localized pain, swelling, stiffness or numbness are common signs and symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). Understanding the development of acute and chronic pain can be complex; acute pain can develop into chronic pain even after a person recovers from an injury. Dr. Daniel Viggiani breaks down the processes and key differences in a new position paper. Read more |
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CROSH: New course on whole-body vibrationThe Centre for Research in Occupational Safety and Health (CROSH) is offering a new, four-day course on whole-body vibration (WBV). In WBV101, learners will gain an appreciation of the nature of WBV hazards in the workplace and the effects of WBV on workers. The next serial is scheduled for Sept 25-28, 2023. Learners can attend in person at Laurentian University or online. Learn more and register |
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ESA: Powerline safetyOver the past decade across Ontario, 19 individuals lost their lives due to accidental contact with a live powerline. Due to increased exposure and interaction with powerlines in everyday work and home environments, the Electrical Safety Authority (ESA) has created a new 10-to-15-minute online module to educate tradespeople on the safe limits of approach for powerlines and other safety considerations, such as call or click before you dig. Try the module | Tips for construction workers |
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EPID@Work: June 29 talk on opioid-related harms among Ontario workersThe EPID@Work Research Institute at Lakehead University will host a presentation about opioid-related harms among Ontario workers on June 29 at 12:00 p.m. Dr. Jeavana Sritharan and Dr. Nancy Carnide will share new findings from analyses of Occupational Disease Surveillance System (ODSS) data, including the occupational groups found to be a highest risk for opioid-related harms and the results of comparing rates of opioid-related harms among workers in the ODSS to those in the general Ontario population. The event will be in-person at Lakehead University and online via Zoom. Register for online or in-person attendance | More about EPID@Work |
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IWH: Opioid risks among workers, future of work scenarios for young adults with disabilities, five-year strategic planWhich groups of Ontario workers are most at risk of opioid-related harms? Findings from the Occupational Disease Surveillance System were shared in a recent Institute for Work & Health (IWH) Speaker Series webinar. Watch it again. What do we need to do now to ensure the inclusion of young adults with disabilities in the future world of work? An IWH team used strategic foresight methods to generate three future scenarios and their implications for persons with disabilities. Read about this work. Building on the past, looking to the future: The IWH Strategic Plan, 2023-2027, now released, outlines six areas of research that the Institute will prioritize over the next five years. Download the plan. |
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IHSA: Lanyard inspection video series, naloxone training, new podcastsWhat’s new at the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association (IHSA):
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WSIB: Making it easier for people to report an injury, illness or exposureWSIB is making it easier to report claims online. People can now sign up for online services to report their workplace injury, illness or exposure. By signing up for an account at the start of a claim, people can track their report and view their information as soon as their claim is registered. They can also use other online services like submitting documents online, signing up for direct deposit and sending a message, all in one place. Online services are available at wsib.ca and via mobile app. Online services | Google app | Apple app |
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WSN: Photo recap, mine rescue winners, radon and diesel testing in underground mines, new mining research and safety posters, top women in safetyNew at Workplace Safety North (WSN):
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WSPS: New CEO, webinars, survey results, domestic violence, naloxone kits, new and young workersNew at Workplace Safety & Prevention Service (WSPS):
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Court bulletinsView bulletins on recent court decisions that resulted in fines and other penalties under Ontario’s workplace laws. Read more |
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