Ont. and Nova Scotia partner to create more opportunities for skilled tradesworkers

HALIFAX — On Aug. 14, the governments of Ontario and Nova Scotia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve interprovincial mobility for skilled tradespeople, including post-journeyperson certification.

Ontario is seeking new ways to improve the labour supply and create the opportunity for qualified skilled tradespeople to become certified in Ontario and address labour shortages. At the same time, Nova Scotia aims to create a competitive workforce by opening up pathways into trades for more apprentices and removing barriers for credential recognition to meet labour market demands.

“Under the leadership of Premier Ford, our government has an ambitious plan to build the highways, hospitals, and homes our growing communities need, which means we need to create more pathways for apprentices and journeypersons who will help us build Ontario,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Building on the success of our MOU with the Government of Alberta last month, we’re excited to partner with Nova Scotia to improve interprovincial mobility for skilled tradespeople and explore new opportunities with the Atlantic provinces. This will help fill in-demand jobs across both provinces and support our mutual goals of building stronger communities.”

“Nova Scotia is a growing province and we need even more skilled trade workers to build our homes and hospitals infrastructure and provide services to Nova Scotians,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “We are making bold decisions to make it easier to fairly assess qualified professionals and improve labour supply.”

Ontario’s MOU with Nova Scotia builds on the MOU Ontario signed with Alberta in July to collaborate on growing the skilled trades and remove barriers for the flow of labour between these two jurisdictions, complementing ongoing work to harmonize Red Seal trades nationally. Ontario is also working with the governments of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador to exchange innovative ideas on removing the interprovincial barriers in the skilled trades.

“Ontario’s skilled trades sector provides access to more pathways for rewarding and life long careers. By reducing interprovincial barriers for skilled tradespeople, we’re paving the way for these individuals to improve the mobility and strength of the Canadian workforce. This partnership between Ontario and Nova Scotia represents our commitment to developing a robust and diverse trades sector that meets the demands of today and prepares for the challenges of tomorrow,” said Dave Cassidy, Skilled Trades Special Advisor.