Business Advocate Supports Expansion of Northern Ontario Internship Program

(Toronto, March 5, 2019) – Today, Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC), released the following statement in response to the Government of Ontario’s decision to expand the Northern Ontario Internship Program.

“We are pleased to see the government taking steps to remove barriers to programs that will unlock the economic potential for Northern Ontario. With 75 percent of our members stating that the ability to recruit and retain talent is critical to their competitiveness, today’s news is an important step towards expanding skilled trades and strengthening Ontario’s economy.

“Ontario’s overall prosperity depends on the strength of its regional economies, yet as outlined in our recently launched Ontario Economic Report, access to talent is particularly difficult in rural and remote regions of the province. Removing barriers to participation in the Northern Ontario Internship Program will allow more organizations to provide on-the-job career development and address skilled labour shortages. Providing Indigenous and Northern communities with the support they need will ultimately build a stronger, more innovative and competitive province.”

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For more information please contact:
Ceara Copps – Edwards
Senior Communications Advisor
Ontario Chamber of Commerce
647-936-6734
cearacoppsedwards@occ.ca

About the Ontario Chamber of Commerce
For more than a century, the Ontario Chamber of Commerce (OCC) has been the independent, non-partisan voice of Ontario business. The OCC’s mission is to support economic growth in Ontario by defending business priorities at Queen’s Park on behalf of its network’s diverse 60,000 members.