Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, made the announcement earlier this morning that a total of 24 million dollars will be funneled into supporting green building skills.
With funds supplied by proceeds of the province’s carbon market, the money will be used to train current and future skilled workers from the building sector. The Ontario Government hopes that the new lessons will lower the carbon footprint of an industry that produces nearly a quarter of the province’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
Unions, colleges, and universities were all mentioned among recipients for the help being handed down from Queen’s Park. In reaction to the announcement, Peter Devlin, President of Fanshawe College, expressed excitement and optimism for the investment and mentioned that there is “great potential… particularly for our students”.
The recent investment is largely motivated by the province’s fight against climate charge and ties into the Climate Change Action Plan, a plan that hopes to provide a significant reduction in Ontario’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.
