Mississauga–Malton.

Mississauga–Malton. Thank you. His daughter is actually in her first year at the University of Windsor and is part of the Ontario Learn and Stay program. It’s exciting to see a new young nurse will be graduating into the Windsor area to help with the nursing that will be needed at the new Windsor hospital and all the that’s work being done in their community.

Interjections.

This type of program can truly make the difference between a student who has maybe never even considered post-secondary education because they believe that they can’t afford it and a student who has the opportunity to train for and land an in-demand job when they graduate, with many of their education costs completely paid for.

I’ll tell you, Madam Speaker, when I was in my riding last spring at the high school graduations that were happening, I was paying special attention to the students who were going into nursing programs, paramedics and lab tech programs. I actually went over to one young lady and her family after because I remembered the school she was going to, and she was going into nursing. I said, “Have you heard of Ontario Learn and Stay?” Her mom said, “Yes, and we are registering for it.” It’s good to see these young people getting their tuition paid for and helping to serve in those underserved areas.

Specifically, the grant will support students entering eligible nursing, paramedic and medical lab tech programs in underserved communities across Ontario. Once the students finish their training, they are incentivized to remain in the underserved regions of Ontario for a period of service—places where they will have already started laying down their roots, making friends, supporting local businesses and building connections with the community, maybe even meeting that special someone there and deciding that this is where they want to continue after those two years are over. They might find themselves working at a local health care facility or directly for one of the local ambulance services.

The Ontario Learn and Stay Grant gives students a helping hand in their decision to not just study in underserved communities but also stay there to begin rewarding careers and make an impact in the communities. We need a strong, sustainable system with a trained and professional workforce ready to support underserved regions, bolstering the province’s health care system to support the people of Ontario now and in the future. Training health care workers will add much-needed capacity to our health care system, ensuring our families, friends and loved ones get the level of care they need and deserve, no matter where they live in this province. The grant is a win-win for both post-secondary students as well as communities and folks across Ontario. I look forward to seeing the first round of graduates coming out of these programs within the next few years.

Madam Speaker, up until now, I have talked about removing barriers to post-secondary education and how to support learners once they get there. But now I’d like to touch on some steps our government is taking to ensure students can successfully transition from post-secondary education into the workforce. It is up to us, in partnership with all of our post-secondary institutions, to establish the pathways to help set students up for success.

Like the rest of the world, as we continue on our road of economic growth, Ontario continues to face challenges. To navigate this ongoing global economic uncertainty, our government has a plan—a plan to build an Ontario that the people of this province can be proud of, not only today but in the future. The goal of this plan is to make sure students are prepared for the jobs of a modern economy, with the skills to be adaptable lifelong learners in an ever-changing world.

People are keener than ever to explore faster pathways to meaningful and rewarding careers. They want to ensure that the training they put their time, their money and their effort into is going to pay off. That’s exactly what micro-credentials offer—a faster, affordable and more flexible pathway to employment. We know that lifelong learning is becoming more and more commonplace across sectors, as the skills and knowledge needed continually change. We also know that lifelong learners are busy people and need to be able to hit the ground running to make an immediate impact with their employers or to pursue new job opportunities. Offering micro-credentials alongside degrees, diplomas and certificates opens the doors of opportunity to those who are looking to develop new skills quickly and empowers learners with options. They also provide businesses with the talent they need. We know that Ontario’s economic growth and future prosperity are dependent on a workforce that is nimble, adaptive and responsive to an evolving labour market.

Speaker, our government is committed to supporting learners at all stages of their careers and recognizes the significance of micro-credentials and the value they provide to the growth and development of the province’s economy.

That’s why we are proud to have announced over $60 million in Ontario’s first-ever micro-credentials strategy, a bold, forward-thinking plan to support the expansion of Ontario’s micro-credentials—the kind of flexible training that people truly want and the kind of training opportunities that prepare them for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow.

I’m proud to see the many micro-credentials being offered at our institutions across the province, including Indigenous institutes and career colleges, from the fields of technology to research to manufacturing and more. As micro-credentials gain momentum worldwide, it is critical that we home in on this type of training option right here in Ontario.

This year, Ontario invested $5 million to launch a second round of the micro-credentials challenge to support the creation of more micro-credentials projects. This investment is stemming from the success of the first round of the challenge fund, when post-secondary institutions and industry worked together to create over 300 new micro-credentials to support approximately 6,000 learners across the province.

As we work to expand program offerings, we want to keep our learners in mind and make sure that micro-credentials are affordable and accessible so that anyone who wants to take this training can, regardless of their circumstances or financial situation.

Madam Speaker, I’m going to show you a list of some of the micro-credentials that I think maybe you might have some interest in, in your Durham area—maybe after politics. There’s a micro-credential using construction tools—maybe something you might even want to pick up during politics.

The London members: Fanshawe College has some digital literacy micro-credentials. They also offer a Microsoft formulas credential.

Our Toronto members: Rotman “health care analytics: AI, big data and digital transformation” at U of T. So lots of great micro-credentials that you could be studying now, because they are micro, but things you can look forward to maybe after politics, because learning is a lifelong adventure.

To that end, I’m proud to say that Ontario is the first jurisdiction in Canada to offer student financial assistance for micro-credentials. So you could even be eligible for OSAP if you decide to take these micro-credentials. As of today, more than 1,900 micro-credentials are approved for OSAP loans and grants, with more being added regularly. So whether it’s the mid-career parent looking to move from health administration to coding, or a new post-secondary graduate interested in honing their skills in AI, or a politician who is looking at their next career, there is a micro-credential for everyone.

As more people discover micro-credentials, we move closer to a world that recognizes and embraces flexible, labour-market-driven learning. Madam Speaker, we know that Ontario’s economy is becoming more knowledge-based and technology-driven, so a skilled workforce is an important driver for the province’s economy and competitiveness. That’s why, as we announced last Monday, Ontario is investing $100 million in 2023-24 to help cover the operating costs of science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs at publicly assisted colleges and universities that have enrolments above their funded levels.

On average, STEM graduates have better post-graduation outcomes than their non-STEM counterparts, with lower unemployment and higher wages. Therefore, it makes sense to provide enhanced support for these programs, as they will help post-secondary students secure good, in-demand jobs.

Our government has also recently announced a new way to connect students to rewarding careers by creating a career portal. This portal will help students understand labour market needs and make informed decision on their post-secondary education journey. There are so many sources of labour market information out there; it can be overwhelming to navigate and choose the best educational path. The creation of a government portal will help to strengthen how students, workers, employers and newcomers access education and career pathways in Ontario. Obviously, we’ll be working very closely with our post-secondary education sector and various ministries to identify the needs and the paths to get to those in-demand jobs.

I hope to share more details about the portal with everyone soon, as we work through our consultations. I am looking for a great portal that’s going to help students to navigate that pathway, to look at the jobs that are available, because sometimes we don’t even know the things that are out there—but how to look at those programs, the courses you would take, the schools that offer those programs, and the outcomes.

Madam Speaker, students deserve the best opportunity to gain the skills they need to get good-paying, high-quality jobs. So our government is taking steps to help our post-secondary institutions offer more in-demand programs and adapt to changing labour market needs.

Pending regulatory changes, we are planning to allow colleges to submit applications to offer applied master’s degrees. These programs would give students more choice when it comes to innovative applied master’s programs that lead to in-demand jobs, helping them to graduate with the skills, the expertise and credentials to successfully transition to the workforce. It will also give employers access to more industry-ready employees who can immediately meet labour market demands in specialized fields, fields such as advanced manufacturing, computer science, artificial intelligence and animation. Again, finding new ways like this to prepare students for great careers is a win-win for all of Ontario.

Actually, when I was in the riding last weekend, I was talking to a gentleman; his son is a student at Sheridan College in the animation program, doing the degree program. He was saying how much his son loves his program and the opportunities that were going to be out there for him upon graduation, but he was also excited about more learning opportunities. We made the announcement last Monday, so I heard from him afterwards about the applied master’s, because Sheridan will be offering this in their animation program, and how excited his son was to be able to continue his education and do the applied master’s.

As you can see, Ontario is putting students first, with a continued focus on removing barriers to post-secondary education and ensuring that learners are equipped with the skills and experience they need to successfully transition to the workforce. However, it’s important to recognize that the supports that we put in place for students are only as useful as the strength of Ontario’s post-secondary system as a whole.

Our government provides more than $5 billion annually to Ontario’s publicly assisted colleges and universities. We do this because we recognize they are important contributors to the economy of our province, to our local communities and the individual impact that higher education can have on Ontarians. That said, we are continuing to focus on efficiency, accountability and financial sustainability within the system. Why, Madam Speaker? To ensure our post-secondary institutions can deliver high-quality education for years to come and generations to come.

We recognize that our colleges and universities were hit hard during the pandemic. On our part, we took action to support institutions during that time in as many ways as possible:

—providing $25 million in 2020 to assist colleges, universities and Indigenous institutes with immediate COVID-related expenses;

—investing another $106.4 million to help them address COVID-related financial impacts; and

—providing $5 million to help institutions transfer in-person career services to virtual.

Today, our post-secondary institutions continue to navigate the increasing costs of delivering programming, as well as some significant recent changes to the education landscape across Canada. Therefore, Ontario is taking further action to ensure the continued viability of the post-secondary education system in a responsible way, a way that supports students and post-secondary institutions today, while building an even stronger foundation for future generations. That’s why, to bring financial sustainability to post-secondary institutions, our government announced this past Monday that we’re providing nearly $1.3 billion in new funding. This funding includes the $100-million investment in STEM costs that I mentioned earlier.

We are also creating a three-year post-secondary education sustainability fund valued at approximately $903 million. This fund will provide $700 million in broad-based support for all institutions and will offer $203 million in additional top-up funding for institutions with the greatest financial need. This funding will help institutions address their immediate critical costs, so they can continue delivering high-quality education to students.

We’re also supporting the world-class research being done in our post-secondary institutions, with more than $65 million to support the continuation of research and innovation. And to help post-secondary institutions provide modern and safe learning environments for students, faculty and staff, we are providing over $167 million in additional funding for capital renewal and equipment. These capital investments will allow institutions to address their deferred maintenance backlog, undertake critical repairs, modernize the classrooms, update the technology and improve their environmental sustainability, while continuing to offer a safe experience for students, staff and faculty on campus.

Madam Speaker, it is not lost on us that our northern and smaller post-secondary institutions face unique financial challenges. They are more reliant on operating grants and domestic tuition. In 2022-23, our government provided $409 million in operating grants to northern institutions. In 2023-24, we’re providing northern colleges with $83 million through the Small, Northern and Rural Grant and $16 million for northern universities through the Northern Ontario Grant. Our government appreciates the special role that our post-secondary institutions play in northern Ontario, providing learners with access to high-quality education close to home and helping to prepare them for in-demand jobs in their local communities and beyond.

Madam Speaker, I don’t know if you’ve ever had a chance to travel up to northern Ontario to visit some of those schools, but I have. I was actually talking with the folks at Boréal at PDAC the other day, and some of the great work that they’re doing—not just in northern Ontario, but also here in Toronto, where they will be offering the new stand-alone nursing program in French in both areas. I know they’re doing great work in the health human resources as well as skilled trades. I had an opportunity to chat with them there—some great work at our northern institutions.

I also announced last Monday that our government is providing a one-time additional investment of $10 million in 2024-25 through the Small, Northern and Rural Grant and the Northern Ontario Grant. This will help northern universities and small, northern and rural colleges to maintain a full range of programs and provide students with local competitive choices for post-secondary education.

I want to be clear about something, Madam Speaker. Our government’s approach to ensuring the financial sustainability of our post-secondary sector does not just include infusing more money into the system. We know that taxpayer dollars need to be spent wisely while still maintaining the high-quality level of education that Ontarians deserve. That’s why, to further support publicly assisted colleges and universities to operate in an efficient, accountable and transparent manner, our government also announced on Monday that we’re creating an Efficiency and Accountability Fund. The fund will provide institutions with $15 million over the next three years, starting in 2024-25, to support third-party reviews. These reviews will identify actions that institutions can take to drive long-term cost savings and positive outcomes for students and communities.

Ontario will continue to work with all post-secondary institutions to create greater efficiencies in operations and program offerings because, at the end of the day, our government will hold colleges and universities accountable and ensure they are taking the necessary steps to operate as efficiently as possible.

Madam Speaker, as I’m in my last minute of time, I had better start to wrap up. In the weeks and months ahead, I look forward to continuing to work with all of our post-secondary institutions and partners to continue finding solutions that will ensure our province remains home to the best education system and workforce possible. I feel optimistic about the historic changes being proposed as part of the Strengthening Accountability and Student Supports Act, 2024. I appreciate everyone’s support as we move forward.

As we are approaching the last few weeks of the school semester, I want to wish good luck to all of the students out there as they are quickly coming into exams, but a special good luck to my youngest daughter, who is graduating from Western University and looking forward to her last couple of weeks.