Tory says fed’s commitment to fund Toronto job program bodes well for budget
Toronto Youth Corps to receive $11.6 million over three years to provide job and skills training for 1,300 youths.

thestar.com
By BETSY POWELL
March 14, 2017

The federal government’s $8.6 million investment in a city youth employment program is a great example of how governments can work together to build a great city, Mayor John Tory says.

It’s also a hopeful sign of things to come for Toronto in next week’s federal budget, Tory said, reiterating his “fervent” hope to see “substantial investments...for housing and transit.”

Tory joined federal Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Minister Patty Hajdu and Liberal MP Adam Vaughan, who represents Spadina-Fort York, at Toronto City Hall for the announcement Tuesday.

In total, the Toronto Youth Corps will receive $11.6 million in funding over three years, including $2 million from the city and $1 million from the private sector, to provide job and skills training for more than 1,300 youth. Ottawa hiked funding by 50 per cent and extended the funding agreement from one to three years.

“There is nothing more tragic than watching a young person lose hope of all success,” Hajdu told reporters.

There are often “significant barriers” preventing today’s youth from continuing their education or finding work, leading to a cycle that can be very difficult to overcome, she said.

“With support and positive work experiences, young people can thrive and move from a very difficult situation to one of hope and a sense of a positive future.”

Okeima Lawrence, project manager for the Toronto Youth Corps, called the long-term investment “significant.” Last year, the total program budget was $2.2 million.

“We now have stable, predictable funding for the next three years, which is fantastic, so it continues to help support young people in neighbourhoods with high rates of unemployment,” he said Tuesday.

“A bridging program like this helps a lot of young people through the door and helps them get those opportunities they need for success in life.”

Tory contrasted this federal-municipal collaboration to the city’s strained relations with the province after Premier Kathleen Wynne rejected council’s request to impose road tolls on the Gardiner Expressway and Don Valley Parkway.

On Monday, Tory emerged from a meeting with provincial Finance Minister Charles Sousa warning that underfunding Toronto’s transit and housing needs would be a “grave mistake.”

Tory on Tuesday acknowledged the province has made “significant investments in transit.”

But he took note of the federal government’s “unprecedented” step of investing money in the city’s transit system that allowed the purchase of 300 new buses this year, with more funding promised.

Vaughan, a former city councillor, said his party has “changed the conversation” by “partnering with cities to make sure that we deliver long-term, robust funding over the long haul to make sure these services don’t fall to local taxpayers alone.”

He noted that 25 Liberal MPs represent Toronto.

“All of us are committed to getting Toronto a better deal out of this budget,” Vaughan said.

“He has reason to be optimistic, I have reason to be optimistic, the city of Toronto, more importantly, has reason to be optimistic, as do the people waiting for housing, waiting for housing repairs or waiting for a bus.”