The Ontario government is providing more than $684,000 in funding to establish a new action centre aimed at helping more than 3,000 workers who have been laid off due to the retooling of the Ford Motor Company of Canada plant in Halton.
The centre, which will be managed by Unifor, is set to offer various employment support services including job search assistance, access to job training, personalized career counselling, and help with resume and interview preparation.
“Ontario’s world-leading auto industry is the engine of our economy and our government stands with its workers,” said David Piccini, Ontario’s Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. He added that the action centre will provide essential services to help workers “get back on their feet quickly and find jobs to support themselves and their families” as the Oakville Ford plant undergoes its transition to produce electric vehicles (EV).
The new action centre, located at 475 North Service Road East in Oakville, will operate until at least March 2025, it said. It will provide up-to-date job listings, skills development programs, networking opportunities, and free access to computers and other services.
Lana Payne, Unifor National President, noted the collaborative effort between the union and the Ontario government to establish the centre.
“Our union worked closely with the Government of Ontario to ensure that all auto and auto parts workers affected by the transition across the Halton region receive access to the peer-led employment supports and services this action centre will provide when they are needed most,” Payne said.
Local union leaders have expressed their support for the action centre and the resources it will provide. Marc Brennan, Ford Oakville Plant Chairperson for Unifor Local 707, emphasized the importance of supporting the workers during this transitional period.
“Ford Oakville workers are essential to the future of this plant, the Halton Region and the province of Ontario,” Brennan said. Alice Kelly, President of Unifor Local 1256, highlighted the targeted assistance the action centre will offer to workers in the auto parts supply chain and Ford security workers.
“With the funding provided by the Ontario Government, this action centre will also provide targeted assistance to workers in Ontario’s vital auto parts supply chain as well as Ford security workers,” Kelly said.