Ontario appoints Skilled Trades Special Advisor

Dave Cassidy will help assess the workforce needs in Ontario’s skilled trades, focusing on the manufacturing and automotive industries. (Photo credit: Government of Ontario.)

The Ontario government is appointing Dave Cassidy, former president of Unifor Local 444, as a Skilled Trades Special Advisor (STSA) to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. The new advisor will assess the workforce needs in Ontario’s skilled trades, focusing on the manufacturing and automotive industries, including electric vehicles (EV).

Over the past few years, the manufacturing and automotive sectors in Ontario have been rapidly growing and the province is expected to require more than 500,000 additional workers in skilled trades-related occupations over the next decade.

David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, said the government is focused on investing in advanced manufacturing, including automakers and EVs. “As these sectors grow, we need to prepare our skilled trades workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and that begins with finding out where those jobs are and how we can build a talent pathway to fill them.”

As part of his new role, the STSA will work to ensure Ontario is positioned to respond to the development and expansion of the province’s manufacturing and automotive sectors. The government said his advice will be complemented by ongoing stakeholder consultations, which will serve to identify issues, challenges and areas of improvement within Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system.