The Ontario government is investing $445,252 in a new action centre to help the 180 workers impacted by the closure of Cascades' manufacturing plants in Trenton and Belleville, Canada, connect with services and training they need to get back to work quickly.

Run by Unifor, the Cascades Action Centre will operate until April 2025 and support laid-off workers represented by Unifor Local 1470 and the Independent Paperworkers of Canada Local 7. The action centre will host workshops and seminars, provide peer-to-peer support and job search assistance, teach financial management and computer skills and provide certification training in Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) and other short-term training. These customized resources will help affected workers prepare for other well-paying jobs in manufacturing and the skilled trades in Eastern Ontario.

By investing more than $1 billion annually to employment and training services, including Better Jobs Ontario and the Skills Development Fund Training Stream among other programs, the Ontario government is helping workers train to get well-paying and meaningful careers in the skilled trades.