Ontario spending $2.7 million to upgrade electrical workers' skills in eastern Ontario

The government of Ontario says it is spending $2.7 million to upgrade the skills of 65 electrical workers in eastern Ontario.

Premier Doug Ford made the announcement at KE Electrical in Kanata Tuesday morning.

"This project, led by KE Electrical, will provide participants with the skills they need to progress from apprentices to labourers, labourers to journeymen," Ford said. " Programs like these are helping to ensure we have the skilled workforce to build the homes, schools, hospitals and infrastructure projects our growing province needs."

The government says the training will be delivered at sites throughout eastern Ontario and will be free to all employees, while mileage and other travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Ford said this program is part of a larger investment into hiring 100,000 skilled trades workers in Ontario, including at least 1,600 more electricians.

Ford made the announcement alongside Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton and Ottawa Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

Led by Premier Ford, our government has been on a mission to help every worker gain skills they need to find in demand jobs close to home," McNaughton said.

The province says the project is funded through the government's $700-million Skills Development Fund, which supports programs that connect jobseekers with skills and training.

PREMIER ASKED ABOUT BILL 124 APPEAL

Ford was asked several questions about his government's decision to appeal appeal a court ruling that struck down Bill 124, that legislation that capped public sector wages for a period of three years, which was found unconstituitional.

The legislation was heavily criticized by groups representing public sector workers, who argued he bill violates a section of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that protects meaningful collective bargaining. The province maintained the opposite, but Justice Markus Koehnen released an 80-page decision in November arguing that Bill 124 does infringe on the applicants' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining. The province immediately promised to appeal.

Ford said he would not comment on the court process, and instead touted his government's spending on health care. When pressed on the issue, he said his goal is to respect taxpayers.

"Our whole goal with Bill 124, I have to make sure we respect the taxpayers but also make sure the front-line workers are treated fairly and come up with common ground," Ford said. "We're going to sit down again with the unions and we're going to get a fair deal for the front-line workers but always respecting the taxpayers, making sure that we're prudent fiscal managers of the taxpayers' money."

He would not comment on whether his government would take the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada if it fails.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa's Colton Praill.