Opposition Criticizes Ontario Government Over Skills Fund Grants to PC Donors
Opposition parties say Ontario’s Skills Development Fund (SDF) is being misused after it was revealed that several companies receiving large grants also have ties to Progressive Conservative (PC) donors.
The criticism followed an Auditor General report that found political staff overruled public servants to award about $750 million in grants to chosen applicants.
Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said the Ford government has turned a program meant to help workers into “a slush fund to reward people connected to the premier.”
Labour Minister David Piccini defended the process, saying elected officials should have the final say on funding decisions, especially during fast-changing times like the pandemic. He argued the SDF helps train workers quickly for better jobs and has supported over 1,000 projects and 100,000 participants.
One grant recipient, Dentacloud, received more than $2 million to train workers in the dental industry. The company said it trained 349 people and helped fill over 70 jobs. Its director, John Maggirias, has donated more than $20,000 to the PCs in recent years and was nominated by Premier Doug Ford for a King Charles Coronation Medal.
Another business, Pace Law Firm, was awarded $3.3 million in funding for training programs. Its CEO, Nick Simone, was also nominated for the Coronation Medal and appointed chair of Metrolinx.
Other companies tied to PC donors that have received funding include Scale Hospitality and Canadian Niagara Hotels Inc., which together received more than $20 million.
Critics argue that public money should go to colleges and universities, which are struggling as international student enrollment falls. But Piccini said the fund is meant to be flexible and meet the needs of workers across Ontario, including in rural and remote communities.
“The Skills Development Fund is changing lives,” Piccini said. “It gives people new opportunities at any age, and that’s why we’re expanding it.”
