Published plans and annual reports 2025–2026: Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

Ministry overview

Ministry’s vision

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) leads Ontario’s effort to be the best jurisdiction in North America to recruit, train, retain, protect, and reward workers for the jobs of today and tomorrow. The ministry’s work creates dynamic and equitable labour markets, safe and harmonious workplaces, and competitive labour and employment regulations. It is the ministry’s job to support the people of Ontario in all aspects and phases of employment:

Post employment

• Setting rules around termination, layoff and severance.
• Supporting workers who lose their jobs and need to transition to a new career.
• Sending rapid response teams in cases of mass layoffs.
• Ensuring compensation and supports in place for injured workers.

In the workplace

• Developing policy to promote safe, fair and harmonious workplaces.
• Helping parties resolve disputes quickly and providing collective bargaining data, research and trend analysis to inform decision‐making.
• Enforcing the laws and providing information and education.
• Working with partners to prevent workplace injuries, illness and fatalities.

The labour market

• Identifying jobs of the future and related skills.
• Nominating workers for permanent residence that have the right skills, experience and education to support the economy.
• Connecting job seekers with training and skills development opportunities.
• Promoting apprenticeships in skilled trades and developing programs and incentives to support increased uptake.

MLITSD supports a number of key government priorities for strengthening Ontario’s economy, such as:

• Promoting a competitive economy that creates good jobs and attracts investments.
• Ensuring employment and training sectors are efficient and aligned with Ontario’s labour market needs.
• Especially during periods of economic pressure and uncertainty, MLITSD helps protect workers, businesses and communities by investing in training initiatives and workforce development. These efforts support economic growth, workforce resilience, and sustainability.
• Making Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system more client-focused, flexible, and accessible.
• Transforming and integrating Ontario’s employment services to help job seekers, including those on social assistance, find and keep good jobs.
• Keeping Ontario workers healthy and safe.
• Supporting a harmonious and stable labour relations environment that minimizes the number and duration of work stoppages.
• Creating fair workplaces and a level playing field for employers.
• Nominating skilled immigrants for permanent residence, supporting Ontario’s labour market and growing the province’s economy.
• Supporting newcomers with settlement services and language training programs to set them up for economic success in the province.

Ministry programs

MLITSD contributes to government priorities through the delivery of public services in five primary areas of responsibility:

• Employment Ontario
• Occupational Health and Safety
• Employment Standards
• Labour Relations
• Global Talent and Settlement Services

Employment Ontario (EO) aims to address labour market and skills gaps and enhance employment opportunities for Ontarians. The objective of the programs and services is to support job seekers in finding and keeping good jobs and ensuring employers can hire the skilled workers they need. EO aims to achieve this by equipping more people with valuable skills through apprenticeships and access to employment and training services to improve labour market outcomes for workers.

EO programs and services are funded in part through two federal transfer agreements: the Canada-Ontario Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) and the Canada-Ontario Workforce Development Agreement (WDA).

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Program aims to prevent fatalities, illness, and injuries across Ontario workplaces. The OHS program has two major streams — OHS Enforcement and OHS Prevention.

OHS Enforcement activities are focused on promoting and enforcing compliance with the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations, particularly in workplaces with higher risk of injury or illness. In addition, the OHS program supports skilled trades and apprenticeship system modernization through the promotion and enforcement of the Building Opportunities in Skilled Trades Act.

OHS Prevention activities are delivered in collaboration with system partners such as the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), specialized research centres (RCs), health and safety associations (HSAs) and private training providers (PTPs). Through these OHS activities, the ministry ensures business stability by creating safe and healthy workplaces.

Costs associated with both OHS programs are fully recoverable from the WSIB.

The Employment Standards (ES) Program helps create fair workplaces, and a level playing field for employers and businesses, thereby reinforcing a competitive business environment that also attracts jobs and investments to Ontario. The program achieves this through a combination of educational and outreach activities, along with of the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), the Employment Protection of Foreign Nationals Act, 2009 (EPFNA), and the Protecting Child Performers Act, 2015 (PCPA).

The Labour Relations (LR) Program supports a stable and constructive labour relations environment and promotes productive workplace relationships in Ontario by facilitating dispute resolution and providing collective bargaining information, research, and analysis to bargaining parties. The program administers six pieces of labour legislation and has the authority to appoint arbitrators under two statutes for the province.

The Global Talent and Settlement Services (GTSS) Program, through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program, nominates newcomers and individuals with temporary resident status in Ontario with in-demand education, skills and experience for permanent residence based on Ontario’s economic needs. Additionally, the Immigration and Settlement Program helps newcomers access the support and training needed for effective integration through a range of programs and services. Programs include Settlement Services, Adult Language Training program, and the Bridge Training program for people currently working in Ontario. GTSS also develops initiatives that remove foreign qualification recognition barriers for internationally trained immigrants settling in Ontario.

Additional internal program: anti-racism team

The overarching goal of the ministry’s Anti-Racism Action Plan is to build, in partnership with key OPS stakeholders, a diverse, inclusive, accessible, and respectful workplace where every employee has a voice and the opportunity to fully contribute. As part of MLITSD’s commitment under the OPS Anti Racism Policy, the plan focuses on strengthening anti-racism competency and capacity, diversifying talent pathways, and fostering accountable, anti-racist workplaces. In 2025-2026, the ministry will continue to identify and remove systemic barriers in its policies, processes, and practices, laying the groundwork for a more racially equitable organizational culture, addressing workplace discrimination, and ensuring equitable access to career opportunities and programs for Black, Indigenous, and other racialized communities.

2025–2026 Strategic plan

Employment Ontario (EO)

Employment Ontario (EO) is the province’s network of employment and training programs, connecting employers, communities, incumbent workers, and job seekers to meet the demands of evolving economic changes, addressing their company-specific and local labour market needs. EO delivers a suite of employment and training, apprenticeship, and adult education programs.

In 2025-2026, the ministry plans to deliver on the following key priorities through the suite of EO programs:

• Maximizing and protecting the supply of skilled workers while reducing the tariff impact on the Ontario labour market, through further investments in training initiatives such as the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Training Stream and providing additional supports for vocational and skills training programs.
• Improving access to high-quality training, through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) Capital Stream and other programs that target in-demand skilled trades.
• Growing the Skilled Trades, through skilled trades and apprenticeship system modernization, and finalizing the establishment of Skilled Trades Ontario (STO).
• Transforming employment services to be more responsive, outcomes-focused, and client-centred, through the Integrated Employment Services (IES) service delivery model.

Maximize and Protect the Supply of Skilled Workers in Ontario

The ministry will continue to address workforce pressures and support labour market resilience through the following initiatives:

• Expanding the SDF Training Stream, to respond to emerging labour market needs and support the development of a highly skilled, and adaptable workforce. SDF will continue to invest in projects that promote access to training, enhance worker retention, and support workforce inclusion across Ontario.
• Mitigating Economic Impacts of Tariffs, by investing additional funding through SDF to help protect Ontario’s economic competitiveness and support sectors at risk of job displacement. The ministry is taking proactive steps to provide targeted supports that maintains labour productivity and economic stability.
• Supporting Workers Affected by Tariffs, including the establishment of training and support centres to coordinate services for laid-off workers. These centres deliver integrated supports in partnership with local stakeholders, such as Service System Managers (SSMs), unions, postsecondary institutions, and community agencies, and offer fast-track access to programs like Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) to help job seekers in affected sectors quickly retrain or upskill.

Provide better training

In 2025-2026, the ministry will continue to invest in training infrastructure and targeted programming to ensure that Ontarians have access to high-quality learning environments and relevant skills development:

• Expanding the SDF Capital Stream, supporting the construction and upgrading of training facilities to meet the needs of emerging sectors and underrepresented regions. For example, the ministry is investing in expanding boilermaker training capacity in Northern Ontario.
• Supporting Job Seekers through BJO, by continuing to provide financial support for tuition, transportation, and childcare, allowing individuals to transition into high-demand sectors and careers.

Grow the skilled trades

The ministry will continue to modernize and expand the skilled trades system to ensure that it remains a pillar of Ontario’s economic development strategy:

• Enhancing In-Class Training Delivery, through investments that will improve apprenticeship progression and completion rates by increasing the number of in-class training seats and reducing financial barriers for new apprentices receiving Level 1 in-class training.
• Supporting Apprenticeship Completion, by maintaining funding for training delivery agents and providing financial assistance through in-class training supports and programs like the Tools Grant program.
• Encouraging Employer Participation, through programs such as the Achievement Incentive, which provides financial supports to employers that hire and train apprentices, with a particular focus on youth and equity-deserving populations.

Transform Employment Services

Ontario’s employment services transformation is designed to build a more integrated, outcomes-driven system that is responsive to local labour market conditions and client needs:

• Expanding the Integrated Employment Services (IES) Model, which consolidates employment programs across government and integrates them with social assistance. This transformation supports the ministry’s mandate to reform Employment Ontario and finalize province-wide implementation of Service System Managers (SSMs).
• Delivering Locally Responsive and Accountable Services, by equipping SSMs to tailor service delivery to regional economic conditions, helping job seekers—including those receiving social assistance—access employment opportunities aligned with labour market demand.
• Strengthening Workforce Participation, by improving service coordination and outcomes for individuals furthest from the labour market, contributing to inclusive economic growth and stronger labour force attachment.

Relevant Ministry Level KPIs – EO

Note: The indicator is calculated by dividing the total number of Integrated Employment Service (IES) and Employment Services (ES) participants who identified as employed or in education/training during a 3-month follow-up survey, by the total number of participants that responded to follow-up surveys excluding blank and unknown responses. Trend values are expected to fluctuate through the duration of the KPI from baseline to target. Assessment of values against target will be complete when the lifecycle of the KPI is reached.

Note: The indicator is a unique count of all apprentices who registered their first training agreement during the time frame indicated. The increase in trend can be attributed to recent investments in Ontario’s skilled trades. Trend values are expected to fluctuate through the duration of the KPI from baseline to target. Assessment of values against target will be complete when the lifecycle of the KPI is reached.

Occupational Health and Safety (OHS)

The goal of the ministry’s OHS program is to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. It is guided by the province-wide OHS strategy, Prevention Works. The legislative foundation of the OHS program is the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) and its regulations, which establish the rights and duties of all workplace parties. The OHSA requires compliance with minimum standards to protect the health and safety of Ontario workers. The program also undertakes activities such as policy development, legislative/regulatory reform, implementation of the Prevention Works strategy, establishment of health and safety standards, information and knowledge management, performance measurement and evaluation, and training and education to improve OHS knowledge and practices.

MLITSD also enforces the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trade Act (BOSTA), ensuring compliance with trade authorization requirements during Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) inspections for compulsory trade work. The Act mandates registration for individuals in 23 compulsory trades, with enforcement measures including education, orders, and penalties for violations. MLITSD develops operational policies, provides guidance and training, and contributes to legislative amendments while analyzing enforcement data and collaborating with stakeholders.

The OHS program delivers its services through two major streams — Prevention and Enforcement.

OHS prevention

Prevention activities are guided by the province-wide occupational health and safety strategy — Prevention Works. Under the strategy, MLITSD works with businesses, worker groups and provincial health and safety system partners to create a culture where occupational health and safety is at the centre of the workplace. A key component is the partnership MLITSD has with Health and Safety Associations (HSAs), OHS Research Centres (RCs) and other key stakeholders.

MLITSD collaborates with HSAs and RCs to deliver accessible health and safety programs, resources, and services to Ontarians, such as training, consulting and research studies.

In 2025–2026, OHS Prevention activities will include:

• A complete review of the role and effectiveness of health and safety associations in delivering services to Ontario’s workplaces, aimed at identifying opportunities for improvement and ensuring value for money.
• Developing Ontario’s next provincial OHS strategy (2026–2031), which will incorporate extensive stakeholder engagement across the OHS system, a thorough impact assessment of the current Prevention Works strategy, and a detailed analysis of its key performance indicators (KPIs) to identify both achievements and opportunities for future improvement.
• Continued activities to implement recommendations from the Occupational Disease Landscape Review Report, including work to increase exposure awareness, expand training and resources for workplace parties, and increase the availability of exposure information.

OHS enforcement

OHS Enforcement activities are focused on promoting compliance with the OHSA and its regulations, particularly in high hazard workplaces, to reduce workplace fatalities, injuries, and illness, and promote safe and healthy workplaces in the province. The ministry’s strategy for promoting compliance with the OHSA is based on core compliance and enforcement activities through ministry’s OHS inspectors. OHS inspectors provide information, resources, and tools to assist workplaces in meeting legislative requirements.

The ministry will continue to conduct proactive inspection campaigns where inspectors visit workplaces to raise awareness of, and ensure compliance with, OHSA. The campaigns use a two phased approach:

• Phase 1: Education, outreach, and awareness: The ministry works with health and safety associations to raise awareness and to educate, train and provide resources to workplaces on hazards the blitz is focused on. Workplaces then have the tools and knowledge to comply before the inspections start.
• Phase 2: Enforcement: Inspectors conduct field visits to check that workplace parties are complying with OHSA and its regulations, and to raise awareness about specific issues in those workplaces.

In 2025–2026, the ministry will conduct seven province-wide campaigns in the following OHS program areas:

• Construction: Single family and multi-family residential projects.
• Industrial: Material Handling.
• Health Care: Workplace violence prevention.
• Mining: Slips, Trips and Falls.
• Specialized Professional Services: Exposure to chemical agents; WHMIS training; ; Musculoskeletal disorder prevention in retail.

Relevant Ministry Level KPI - OHS

Note: The indicator is calculated by dividing the number of allowed lost time claims per 100 full-time equivalents (FTEs) for the year specified. WSIB Provincial Statistics are available on the WSIB website.  Trend values are expected to fluctuate through the duration of the KPI from baseline to target. Assessment of values against target will be complete when the lifecycle of the KPI is reached.

Employment Standards (ES)

MLITSD plays a vital role in promoting the awareness of employment standards, such as minimum wage, hours of work, public holidays, and other standards through the ES Program. The program administers and enforces the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), and its regulations along with the Employment Protection of Foreign Nationals Act, 2009 (EPFNA), and the Protecting Child Performers Act, 2015 (PCPA) and beginning July 1, 2025, the Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act (DPWRA). The administration of the ESA includes licencing temporary help agencies and recruiters. The ES Program also develops and updates policies and procedures in response to legislative amendments or regulatory changes.

Ontario’s general minimum wage rates are set to increase from $17.20 to $17.60 on October 1, 2025, along with specific wage increases for students, homeworkers, and wilderness guides. Annual rate increases are required to be published on the government’s website by April 1 each year.

For 2025–2026 the ES program will focus on:

• Combatting Labour Exploitation, through four main activities:
  • Detecting and investigating businesses suspected of labour violations, trafficking, or exploitation through the ongoing activities of a dedicated intelligence and enforcement team.
  • Streamlining approach to processing temporary help agency and recruiter licensing applications leading to decision.
  • Conducting inspections related to temporary help agencies and recruiters and taking appropriate enforcement action.
  • Providing education and outreach activities, to raise awareness of labour trafficking and exploitation and of worker rights under ESA, OHSA, EPFNA.
• Implementing worker protection legislation by providing updated guidance and education and receiving and investigating complaints including:
  • Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act (DPWRA), that will come into force on July 1, 2025, and establish a range of protections for individuals in app-based services such as ridesharing, food delivery and courier sectors.
  • ESA amendments and its regulations related to Working for Workers legislation, including a new job-protected leave for workers with serious health conditions, and new pre-employment requirements, including requirements related to job ads.
• Increasing awareness and understanding of the rights and responsibilities under the Acts by providing accurate, prompt, and straightforward education resources and stakeholder outreach initiatives.
• Increasing compliance with legislation, by applying a flexible, measured, and progressive enforcement approach to non-compliance, in line with modern regulator principles.
• Addressing violations of the ESA and related legislation by conducting timely investigations and inspections that adhere to legislative, policy and administrative obligations, and that use enforcement tools and penalties appropriate to the situation.

Labour Relations (LR)

The objective of the LR program is to create a stable labour relations climate and harmonious workplace relationships needed to foster productive, supportive, and dynamic workplaces in Ontario. LR provides services to the Ontario Public Service, the broader public sector and private sector, and is the central source of neutral labour relations information, policy, and research in Ontario. Through the LR program, MLITSD administers and supports key legislation, including the Labour Relations Act, 1995. In addition, the program also undertakes activities such as policy development, legislative/regulatory reform and supports other ministries’ LR policy initiatives.

In 2025–2026 the LR priorities in MLITSD continue to be:

• Mediation Services, which facilitates and monitors the collective bargaining process in the province and assists employers and trade unions to resolve outstanding issues through conciliation and mediation.
• Arbitration Services, which facilitates the arbitration process, identifies, and appoints experienced individuals as arbitrators and nominees of arbitration cases, and catalogues arbitration awards for public access.
• Collective Bargaining Data and Research Services, which provides neutral data and analysis based on public and private sector collective agreements and provides digital solutions to support businesses and Ontarians with neutral collective bargaining information.

Relevant Ministry Level KPI – LR

Note: The indicator is calculated by dividing the number of joint applications for the appointment of a conciliation officer, by the total number of applications received for the appointment of a conciliation officer. Data is sourced from conciliation records and reflects Bargaining parties’ applications for the appointment of a conciliation officer that is a joint request by both the employer and the trade union. Trend values are expected to fluctuate through the duration of the KPI from baseline to target. Assessment of values against target will be complete when the lifecycle of the KPI is reached.

Global Talent and Settlement Services (GTSS)

There are two main programs GTSS delivers, designed to optimize the benefits of immigration to Ontario and support labour market needs. These programs help Ontario attract and retain skilled workers to support and grow the economy.

Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP)

Through the OINP, , in partnership with the Government of Canada, the ministry delivers on its mandate to support a dynamic labour market. The OINP identifies and nominates individuals whose skills and experience align with Ontario’s economic needs, supporting their application for permanent residence in Canada. The Government of Canada makes the final decision to approve all applications for permanent residence.

In 2025-2026, the OINP will focus on:

• Leveraging the 10,750 nomination spaces allocated by the federal government to support Ontario’s labour market needs with skilled newcomers in regions across the province.
• Implementing enhanced enforcement and compliance measures to protect the program against fraud including unscrupulous immigration representatives.
• Continuing its focus on program modernization to improve the customer experience.
• Implementing program design changes to enable the program to pivot and respond to rapidly changing labour market conditions.

Relevant Ministry Level KPI - OINP

Note: Each year Ontario receives a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allocation letter from the Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. The letter indicates the number of immigration spaces that the province may issue to applicants to the OINP during that calendar year. Note that in 2025, the target value has decreased as a result of the federal government’s reduction of provincial nominee program allocations by 50 percent.

Immigration and Settlement Program

The goal of the Immigration and Settlement Program is to help newcomers succeed and contribute to the economy, through services designed to help overcome integration barriers. This is done through settlement and employment preparation services, adult language training and foreign qualification recognition, and occupation-specific training supports. These programs and services are delivered by community organizations, school boards and post-secondary institutions.

The program also implements policy initiatives to advance credential recognition and works on immigration policy and intergovernmental relations to support Ontario’s economic immigration selection and settlement priorities. This is accomplished by leading Ontario’s participation on the Forum of Ministers’ Responsible for Immigration, and the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement.

In 2025-2026, the Immigration and Settlement Program will prioritize:

• Focusing on newcomer employment outcomes by strengthening employment-related programming in settlement and language training.
• Transforming the Ontario Bridge Training Program by better aligning services with labour market priorities and improving newcomers access to specialized training to address skill gaps and foreign qualification recognition barriers.
• Addressing barriers to foreign credential recognition by expediting and streamlining processes, such as through the introduction of a mandatory three-month limit for registration decisions, establishing consistent standards for assessing qualifications, and enabling parallel processing of registration steps.

Relevant Ministry Level KPI – Immigration and Settlement Program

Note: Language proficiency is measured against the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLBs). 'Advancement' is calculated from the percentage of language learners who advance at least one level in at least one of the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading and writing after completing at least 200 hours of training. Data cycle follows the School Year (September 1 - August 31).

Detailed financial information

Table 2: Combined operating and capital summary by Vote

Note: the main difference between estimates and actuals was due to the increase in demand driven programming within Employment Ontario, through programs such as SDF as a result of the existing economic climate.

Historic trend

Further information on the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development’s programs and initiatives please visit our webiste.

For additional financial information, see:

• Expenditure Estimates
• Public Accounts of Ontario: past editions
• 2025 Ontario Budget: A Plan to Protect Ontario

Agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs)

The work of the ministry is supported by several ABCs.

Office of the Worker Adviser (OWA): The OWA provides advisory, representation, and educational services to non-unionized injured workers and survivors, and represents them before the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal. The OWA also provides support to non-unionized workers in Section 50 (Occupational Health and Safety Act) reprisal cases being heard at the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

Office of the Employer Adviser (OEA): The OEA provides advisory and educational services to all Ontario employers and representation services primarily to smaller employers, with fewer than 100 employees. These services involve workplace safety and insurance matters before the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal. The OEA also provides support to employers with fewer than 50 employees in Section 50 (Occupational Health and Safety Act) reprisal cases being heard at the Ontario Labour Relations Board.

Pay Equity Office (PEO): The PEO administers Ontario’s Pay Equity Act, which promotes fairness in compensation practices by supporting employers and employees in achieving and maintaining pay equity in workplaces where historically female job classes may have been undervalued. The PEO provides education, advice and support, while also investigating complaints, conducting monitoring programs, attempting to effect settlements of pay equity issues between the parties and issuing orders for compliance where necessary.

Pay Equity Hearings Tribunal (PEHT): The PEHT, a quasi-judicial tri-partite administrative tribunal, is responsible for adjudicating disputes arising under the Pay Equity Act.

Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB): The OLRB is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal that mediates and adjudicates a variety of employment and labour relations-related matters under various Ontario statutes, including bad faith bargaining complaints, strikes and lockouts, school board collective bargaining disputes, appeals of decisions of employment standards officers and occupational health and safety inspectors including those related to the Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021

Crown Employees Grievance Settlement Board (GSB): The GSB is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal that mediates and adjudicates labour relations rights disputes of Ontario Crown Employees.

Public Service Grievance Board (PSGB): The PSGB is an independent, adjudicative tribunal that provides dispute resolution services to certain management and excluded members of Ontario’s public service.

Office of the Fairness Commissioner (OFC): The OFC supports the Fairness Commissioner in acting on the mandate set out in the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006 (FARPACTA) and the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (RHPA). The Fairness Commissioner assesses the registration practices of certain regulated professions and trades to make sure they are transparent, objective, impartial, and fair for anyone applying to practice their profession in Ontario.

Agencies and other entities not part of ministry estimates

Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB): The WSIB promotes health and safety in workplaces; facilitates the return to work and recovery of workers who sustain personal injury arising out of, and in the course of, employment or who suffer from an occupational disease; facilitates the re-entry into the labour market of workers and spouses of deceased workers; and provides compensation and other benefits to workers and to the survivors of deceased workers.

Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal (WSIAT): The WSIAT is an adjudicative tribunal which may confirm or vary a WSIB decision, and hears and decides appeals of final decisions of the WSIB.

Prevention Council: The Prevention Council provides advice to the Minister on the appointment of a Chief Prevention Officer and any other matters as specified by the Minister. Further, the Prevention Council provides advice to the Chief Prevention Officer on the prevention of workplace injuries and occupational diseases, for the purposes of the provincial occupational health and safety strategy, and the annual report under section 22.3 of the Occupational Health and Safety Act, and on any significant proposed changes to the funding and delivery of services for the prevention of workplace injuries and occupational diseases.

Labour-Management Advisory Committee: The Labour-Management Advisory Committee advises on grievance arbitration matters and on individuals qualified to act as grievance arbitrators under the Labour Relations Act, 1995.

Skilled Trades Ontario (STO): At maturity, STO will be responsible for a “one-window” delivery model for apprentice registration and certification of skilled tradespeople, in addition to maintaining and updating apprenticeship programs (including training standards, curriculum standards, and examinations).

Summary of expenditures: Agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs)

Notes:

1. All costs of the Grievance Settlement Board are fully recovered from government Ministries as expenditure recoveries and from crown employers and trade unions as revenue:

2. The amounts shown are gross amounts and are fully recoverable from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal report to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development but are not included in the ministry’s Expenditure Estimates because they are not funded through the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF).

Ministry organization chart

• Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training, and Skills Development
  • Deputy Minister
    • Agencies, Boards and Commissions
      • Office of the Employer Adviser
      • Office of the Worker Adviser
      • Ontario Labour Relations Board
      • Grievance Settlement Board
      • Public Service Grievance Board
      • Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal
      • Office of the Fairness Commissioner
      • Pay Equity Office, Commission
      • Pay Equity Hearing Tribunal
      • Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
      • Prevention Council
      • Skilled Trades Ontario
    • Corporate Management and Services Division CAO/ADM
      • Strategic Human Resources Branch
      • Corporate Services Branch
      • Finance & Administration Branch
      • Capital Delivery Branch
    • Fair, Safe & Healthy Workplaces Division ADM
      • Occupational Health & Safety Branch
      • Employment Practices Branch
      • Operations Integration Unit
      • Northern Region
      • Eastern Region
      • Central East Region
      • Western Region
      • Central West Region
      • South Western Region
      • Agency and Recruiter Licensing Project
    • Employment and Training Division ADM
      • Employment Services Transformation Secretariat
      • Skills Development & Community Response Branch
      • Digital Resource & Data Management Branch
      • Organizational & Business Excellence Branch
      • Northern Region
      • Central East Region
      • Central West Region
      • Eastern Region
      • Western Region
      • Integrated Employment System Branch
      • Skilled Trades and Indigenous Partnerships Branch
      • Strategic Workforce & Partnerships Branch
      • Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Transition (STAT) Project
    • Global Talent and Settlement Services Division ADM
      • Ontario Immigration Nominee Program Branch
      • Immigration Policy & Strategic Initiatives Branch
      • Settlement Services Branch
      • Program Integrity & Quality Assurance Branch
    • Prevention Division CPO/ADM
      • Strategy & Integration Branch
      • Training & Awareness Branch
      • Data Analysis & Evidence Branch
    • Strategic Policy Division ADM
      • Health, Safety & Insurance Policy Branch
      • Employment, Labour & Corporate Policy Branch
      • Data Analytics & Research Branch
      • Corporate Policy Branch
    • Labour Relations Solutions Division ADM
      • Dispute Resolution Services Branch
      • Strategic Initiatives Branch
  • Communications Branch
  • Legal Services Branch
  • Labour & Transportation Cluster, I&IT (Ministry of Transportation)
  • Executive Advisor to Deputy Minister
  • Resources Audit Branch (Treasury Board Secretariat)

Appendix

Annual report

In 2024–2025 the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development (MLITSD) supported the government’s focus of making Ontario more competitive by preparing people for jobs, supporting employers in meeting their labour needs, creating safe and fair workplaces, and building a smarter government through key investments.

Employment Ontario

Employment Ontario (EO) is the province's network of programs supporting job seekers in finding and retaining quality jobs and aiding employers in recruiting skilled workers. In 2024-2025, EO continued to offer employment and training assistance to address labour shortages in key sectors through three components of the Workers' Strategy: Skills Development Fund, Employment Services Transformation, and the Skilled Trades.

In 2024–2025, EO programs:

• Supported over 383,000 clients with career and employment resources.
• Provided grant funding for training to over 6,700 employees.
• Assisted over 36,000 adult learners in foundational skills development.
• Helped more than 8,100 youth access job readiness programs or secure employment.
• Aided over 100 individuals with disabilities in securing employment.
• Supported over 1,100 internationally trained immigrants in obtaining licensure and employment.
• Served over 45,100 clients, including 11,200 referred by Social Assistance, in gaining sustainable employment.
• Supported over 212,000 clients with career and employment resources.
• Provided grant funding for training to over 7,700 employees.
• Assisted over 46,000 adult learners in foundational skills development.
• Helped more than 4,400 youth access job readiness programs or secure employment.
• Served over 150,000 clients, including over 45,000 referred from Social Assistance, in gaining sustainable employment, resulting in 81% of clients finding employment.
• Recorded more than 28,000 new registrations in apprenticeship programs.
• Helped over 10,200 apprentices successfully complete their apprenticeship and receive a Certificate of Apprenticeship.
• Aided over 13,900 apprentices in receiving financial assistance while attending full-time, in-class training at a ministry-approved training delivery agent.
• Provided training opportunities to help 4,115 unemployed individuals transition to in-demand jobs through the Better Jobs Ontario (BJO) program.
• Invested in financial supports for over 2,000 employers to purchase training that meets their workforce needs through the Canada-Ontario Job Grant (COJG).
• Supported the Rapid Re-Employment and Training Service (RRTS) through a $3.3M investment in Action Centres, which provided peer counselling and job search assistance to help workers impacted by job loss or economic change regain employment.

Skills Development Fund

The Skills Development Fund (SDF) is a pivotal program within the ministry, dedicated to aiding employers and employees throughout the province. SDF is delivered through two streams:

SDF Training Stream (TS)

The SDF TS supports, partnership-driven initiatives and workforce development strategies to stimulate growth in key sectors of Ontario’s economy.

As of 2024-2025, the government has committed $1.4 billion across five rounds of the SDF TS. This program has supported over 700,000 participants through the first 5 rounds of funding by investing in projects that:

• Address the labour shortage.
• Increase Ontario's long-term economic competitive advantage by creating a sustainable and resilient workforce.
• Help people with prior involvement in the criminal justice system, racialized persons and Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and individuals facing barriers to employment.
   

This commitment includes $100 million announced in January 2025, to continue supporting workforce priorities, especially amidst the ongoing threat of tariffs.

SDF Capital Stream

The SDF Capital Stream supports projects aimed at creating or improving physical spaces that increase the number of trainees and retention of trainees for jobs in emerging and in-demand growth sectors of Ontario’s economy. The SDF Capital Stream is delivered in partnership with Infrastructure Ontario (IO).

In 2024-2025, the Ministry collaborated with IO to evaluate projects from the first round of the stream and entered into 40 executed agreements with organizations to support the renovation, retrofit, expansion, conversion, repair, or new construction of training facilities. The government launched the second round of the stream in 2024-2025, and the program is accepting applications on a continuous basis.

Employment services transformation

The ministry continued its employment services transformation in 2024-2025 with the expansion of the Integrated Employment Services (IES) model into the remaining three catchment areas – Toronto, Northeast and Northwest. As of March 2025, IES has been fully implemented in all 15 catchments in Ontario, with Service System Managers (SSMs) in place province wide.

Continuous improvements applied to the model based on feedback, research, and data analysis included:

• Piloting Employment Related Financial Supports (ERFS) aimed at addressing temporary financial barriers preventing clients from participating in employment and employment-related activities.
• Introducing job stacking, which allows clients to hold multiple part-time jobs to meet the 20-hour-per-week employment outcome threshold.
• Launching an IES Stakeholder Engagement Series to identify opportunities to enhance the IES model for inclusion groups that face greater barriers to sustainable employment, including engagements focused on Asylum Claimants.

Ontario’s Skilled Trades

In 2024-2025, the ministry focused on building the pipeline of skilled workers by modernizing the provincial skilled trades and apprenticeship system through the following initiatives and investments:

• $28.3M allocated for new projects under the Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program, aiding individuals facing barriers to gain job skills and readiness for high-demand trades.
• $22.5M dedicated to the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program (OYAP), providing secondary school students exposure to skilled trades while completing their diplomas. This included eight First Nations secondary schools.
• $2.1M funding for Skills Ontario to raise awareness and prepare youth across the province for careers in skilled trades by partnering with educators, industry, and communities to deliver hands-on programs, events, and career-building opportunities.
• $5.0M to deliver the provincial LevelUp! Skilled Trades Fairs to introduce youth to the skilled trades and bolster attendance by providing transportation to and from the fairs.
• $22.0M allocated for the Apprenticeship Development Benefit, providing financial support for apprentices participating in full-time in-class training.
• $141.8M for the In-Class Enhancement Fund, supporting training providers to deliver high-quality in-class apprenticeship training.
• $24.0M for the Apprenticeship Capital Grant, aiding Training Delivery Agents in upgrading facilities with modern equipment.
• $6.0M designated for the Tools Grant, assisting apprentices with tool and equipment costs for their trade.
• $23.1M for the Achievement Incentive program, encouraging skilled trades employers to hire and train apprentices.
• $2.5M for the Apprenticeship Completion Bonus (ACB) supporting registered apprentices in successfully completing their apprenticeship training in non-Red Seal Trades.

Occupational Health and Safety — prevention

Deliver on the Prevention Works Strategy

Guided by the Prevention Works strategy, in 2024-2025 the ministry continued to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illness province-wide through several programs and activities including:

• The Workplace Naloxone Program (WNP), which offered free naloxone training to 5,560 workers and provided 5,076 nasal spray naloxone kits to employers in eligible workplaces during the 18-month duration of the program to address opioid-related harms.
• The Silica Control Tool (SCT), which has registered 958 users since November 2023 who can use the tool to estimate and recommend controls for silica dust exposures in construction workplaces. Based on user inputs, SCT estimates showed an average 40% reduction in silica exposure if controls are implemented.
• The Heat Stress Toolkit that was launched in March 2024 to help protect workers against heat stress and was downloaded nearly 10,000 times during the 2024 hot weather season.
• The new Working at Heights training standards, implemented on April 1, 2024.
• The Certification Management System (CMS) was enhanced to improve user experience for all CPO approved training, certification, and accreditation and is now used by over 2 million learners, over 200 training providers, over 500 employers, and over 500 ministry users.
• The Occupational Illness Leadership Table, which was established to oversee the implementation of 41 recommendations in the Occupational Disease Landscape Review Report.
• Workplace Safety Plan Builder expansion and enhancement to aid employers, particularly small businesses, in identifying and managing workplace hazards to prevent injuries and illnesses.
• Occupational Exposure Registry - completed development and initial usability testing of prototypes that will be launched in 2025.
• 16 engagement sessions with over 260 occupational health and safety (OHS) organizations and 290 individual participants to capture feedback on the Prevention Works strategy that will inform planning for the new five year OHS system strategy.
• Working for Workers Six - Bill 229, including amendments to the OHSA to expand the powers of the CPO to: strengthen and standardize training requirements, seek and receive advice, recommendations and reports from Section 21 committees; collect and access OHS data to measure performance and inform future prevention strategies.

Enhance Oversight and Accountability

The ministry updated the Standards for Designated Entities under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA)to enhance the ministry’s ability to provide oversight and maintain accountability over health and safety associations (HSAs). The goal of the update is to better support implementing the vision for HSAs and system transformation, along with reinforcing the ministry’s legislative authority on expectations related to governance, transparency, outcomes, value for money and alignment with prevention strategy and system priorities.

Investing in Health and Safety

In 2024-2025 the ministry invested more than $100M in the occupational health and safety system through:

• $98M for health and safety associations (HSAs) to provide training, products and consulting services to employers and workers to keep Ontarians safe at work.
• $10.0M for OHS research centres to create and share occupational health and safety knowledge to help find solutions to existing and emerging health and safety issues.

Occupational Health and Safety — enforcement

The ministry is committed to making Ontario workplaces safer and healthier through its regionally based, frontline Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) program.

2024-2025 program achievements include:

• 69,188 field activities carried out by OHS Inspectors to 32,737 workplaces across Ontario, with 102,820 orders and requirements issued.
• 601 samples tested by the Materials Testing Laboratory (MTL), in accordance with the CSA G-4 standard from April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.
• 3,281 sample analyses performed in support of the Ontario Reactor Surveillance Program (ORSP) and the Ontario Drinking Water Surveillance Program (DWSP).
• 738 x-ray applications received and reviewed by Radiation Protection Services (RPS).

The ministry continued to promote and enforce Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act (BOSTA) requirements at workplaces through proactive health and safety inspections and reactive investigations related to trade authorization and compulsory trade work.

2024-2025 BOSTA achievements include:

• Approximately 80 new health and safety inspectors successfully completed BOSTA training and received BOSTA appointments.
• 1,178 field visit reports and 116 instances of orders and/or compliance assistance as a result of the trade specific BOSTA initiative.

Employment Standards

In 2024-2025 the Employment Standards (ES) program continued to focus on claim resolution to create fair workplaces, and a level playing field for employers.

2024-2025 ES program achievements include:

• Closing 11,940 employment standards claims and completing 813 workplace inspections.
• Maintaining relevant online materials to help employees and employers understand the legislation, with 6.8M pageviews of online ES content.
• Implementing amendments to the ESA made through the Working for Workers Four Act, 2024 that enhanced employee rights and came into effect in 2024-2025.
• Increasing the general minimum wage on October 1, 2024, from $16.55 to $17.20 per hour.

Working For Workers

In 2024-2025, the government introduced Working for Workers Five Act, 2024 and Working for Workers Six Act, 2024. These acts introduced measures that opened pathways into the skilled trades, removed barriers to employment, protected frontline workers, and supported women at work.

These Working for Workers updates included amendments to the Employment Standards Act, 2000 (ESA), Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997 (WSIA), the Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006 (FARPACTA), and the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA).

ESA Amendments:

• Prohibiting employers from requiring that employees provide ‘sick notes’ from health professionals when employees are taking any of the three (3) unpaid sick days under the ESA .
• A new unpaid long-term illness leave for employees unable to work due to a serious medical condition.
• A new unpaid leave for employees having a child coming into their care through adoption or surrogacy.
• Requiring employers who publicly advertise a job posting to include in the posting a statement disclosing whether the posting is for an existing position or not and requiring employers to respond to job applicants they interviewed.
• Changes to the Temporary Help Agencies and Recruiters regulation to respond to stakeholder concerns, such as removing duplicative application fee requirements, creating a security requirement exemption for specific recruiters, adding options for the security requirement, and enhancing the privacy of applicants.

WSIA Amendments:

• Reducing the duration of employment prior to diagnosis and age limit required for presumptive coverage for firefighters and investigators who develop occupational cancers because of their service.
• Making sure wildland firefighters and investigators receive the same presumptive coverage for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), cancers and heart injuries as other first responders.

FARPACTA Amendments:

• Require regulated professions to have a policy respecting alternatives where required registration-related documents are unavailable.
• Require regulated professions to have a plan to facilitate multiple registration steps concurrently during the registration process.

OHSA Amendments:

• Ensuring virtual workspaces are covered, by amending the definition of harassment to include protection against virtual harassment, allowing for the use of electronic copies of the OHSA and policies to meet posting requirements, allowing joint health and safety committees to be held virtually, and clarifying the application of the OHSA to telework in a private residence.
• Increasing corporate liability when offences resulted in the death or serious injury of one or more workers.
• Adding a new employer duty to ensure that PPE provided, worn, or used is a proper fit and is appropriate in the circumstances.
• Enabling the Minister to issue an order to the constructor on a project to establish a Worker Trades Committee (WTC) and/or provide for the composition, practice, and procedure of a WTC.
• Amendments to various provisions related to cranes, including clarifying, and adding new design, installation, inspection, maintenance, and record-keeping requirements and requiring more comprehensive inspections of tower cranes.
• Requiring menstrual products be provided at projects expected to last three months or more and at which twenty or more workers are regularly employed.

Labour Relations

Through the Labour Relations (LR) program, the ministry provided neutral, evidence-based, collective bargaining analytics and informed policy support to the government and other ministries on labour relations issues. Stakeholders included hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, other congregate care settings, municipalities, the construction industry, and private sector manufacturing and service industries.

By resolving collective bargaining disputes, the LR program facilitated a stable and harmonious labour environment across Ontario. In November 2024, the program launched a new online service for the labour relations community, available through the Collective Bargaining Ontario (CBO) website. As Canada’s first digital platform dedicated to labour relations, the new service modernizes how clients submit applications by streamlining the entire process through a user-friendly interface that connects directly to a new, online case management system. The new platform is centralized, automated, and provides improved service to the labour relations community.

Achievement statistics for 2024-2025 included:

• Approximately 3,200 conciliation and mediation files appointed by the ministry.
• 98% of all collective agreements in Ontario being achieved without a work disruption – exceeding the 95% target rate (see Figure 2 below).

• Approximately 2,000 collective agreements ratified in the education, health and social services, public administration, manufacturing, and services sectors.
• Approximately 544 ministerial appointments made by the ministry, to assist parties to settle grievance and interest arbitration disputes where parties could not reach agreement on an arbitrator appointment.
• Increased access to reports on the Collective Bargaining Ontario website, with analytical reports being accessed over 13,000 times and collective agreement provision reports being accessed over 2,100 times.

Global Talent and Settlement Services (GTSS)

Through GTSS, the ministry addresses two key government priorities:

• Nominating skilled immigrants for permanent residency, and
• Supporting social and economic integration of newcomers. 
   

Nominating Skilled Immigrants

In 2024-2025, OINP met its 2024 nomination allocation of 21,500 nominations issued for permanent residence to successful applicants with work experience and/or a job offer.

2024-2025 OINP statistics included:

• 84% of nominations went to individuals with temporary resident status in Canada.
• Over 60% of nominees held a postsecondary degree or diploma.

The program also made significant strides in expanding its compliance and enforcement activities to protect the program against abuse and fraud. In 2024-2025 the Investigations Unit:

• Conducted 573 on-site inspections or visits.
• Issued 89 Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP) notices and 71 AMP orders.
• Issued 19 ban notices/orders.
• Laid charges under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 for the first time.

Supporting Social and Economic Integration of Newcomers

The ministry funds a full array of settlement, language training and employment programming for immigrants and newcomers via a network of over 150 service providers. Programming builds on the human and social capital of immigrants and refugees to help them integrate and succeed in Ontario. Immigration and Settlement Program achievements for 2024-2025 include:

• The Newcomer Settlement Program provided settlement and labour market integration support services to over 130,800 newcomers.
  • 39,300 clients indicated they needed employment and training services.
  • 47,600 referrals were made to employment and training services.
  • An additional 24,300 clients participated in employment programs delivered directly by settlement agencies.
• The Adult Language Training saw over 66,200 newcomers participate in language classes and workplace communication and skills training.
  • The number of newcomer learners who advanced in language proficiency benchmarks exceeded the target outcome of 75%.
• The Ontario Bridge Training Program served over 2,400 skilled newcomers with targeted training and licensure supports to find jobs that match their international qualifications.

Note: the main difference between estimates and actuals was due to the increase in demand driven programming within Employment Ontario, through programs such as SDF as a result of the existing economic climate

Acts administered by the ministry: 2024–2025

• Ambulance Services Collective Bargaining Act, 2001
• Building Opportunities in the Skilled Trades Act, 2021
• Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act, 1993
• Digital Platform Workers’ Rights Act, 2022
• Employment Protection for Foreign Nationals Act, 2009
• Employment Standards Act, 2000
• Fair Access to Regulated Professions and Compulsory Trades Act, 2006
• Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997, Part IX (Firefighters: Employment and Labour Relations)
• Front-line and Essential Service Worker Week Act, 2021
• Government Contract Wages Act, 2018
• Hospital Labour Disputes Arbitration Act
• Labour Relations Act, 1995
• Ministry of Labour Act
• Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, in respect of training and skills development
• Occupational Health and Safety Act
• Occupational Safety and Health Day Act, 2021
• Ontario Immigration Act, 2015
• Ontario Labour Mobility Act, 2009
• Pay Equity Act
• Pay Transparency Act, 2018
• Protecting Child Performers Act, 2015
• Public Sector Dispute Resolution Act, 1997
• Public Sector Labour Relations Transition Act, 1997
• Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006 in respect of sections 21 to 27 and clause 31(1)(b) [only in respect of the Public Service Grievance Board]
• Registered Human Resources Professionals Act, 2013
• Regulatory Modernization Act, 2007
• Rights of Labour Act
• Toronto Transit Commission Labour Disputes Resolution Act, 2011
• Workers Day of Mourning Act, 2016
• Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997

The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development also has responsibilities under the following Act administered by another ministry:

• Colleges Collective Bargaining Act, 2008

  • Administered by the Ministry of Colleges and Universities. However, the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development has a role in the conciliation process, and the Ontario Labour Relations Board also has functions and responsibilities under this Act.

  School Boards Collective Bargaining Act, 2014 (SBCBA)

  • Administered by the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development provides the services of conciliation officers and mediators to assist with bargaining.

"Back to work" Acts administered by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

• Back to Class Act (York University), 2018
• Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Labour Dispute Resolution Act, 2017
• Protecting the School Year Act, 2015