Prince Edward Island:

• Work and Study Hubs will soon be available to Islanders in 13 communities across Prince Edward Island. 
• The hubs are a space where Islanders can bring their own device to access free, reliable internet to work and learn.
• Learn more about the Work and Study Hubs Pilot Program.

Quebec:

• An interactive online calculator tool is now available to help citizens choose the most appropriate method to claim the deduction for teleworking expenses incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Quebecers who have teleworked due to the health crisis may request $2 for each day of teleworking, up to a maximum of $ 400.
• Click here to access the tool.

Ontario:

• Effective January 25, Francophone non-profit organizations can begin applying for financial assistance from the $1 million COVID-19 Relief Fund. 
• The fund, which is being administered by the Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario, will provide eligible organizations with operational funding to support them during the pandemic.
• Applications will be accepted until March 12, 2021. 
• Consult the AFO website to learn more.

 

• The provincial government is launching a new, online testing option for individuals seeking to obtain a licence to become a security guard or private investigator. 
• This modern testing option will eliminate the need for applicants to travel to a testing location during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond.
• Applicants who select the security guard or private investigator online testing option may choose from a range of dates and times when sessions will be offered.
• Read the official release to learn more.

 

• The provincial government is expanding the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) for eligible programs at Indigenous Institutes starting in the 2020-21 academic year.
• Beginning this year, Ontario is designating Indigenous Institutes as approved institutions for OSAP purposes to allow eligible students to apply for assistance. Indigenous Institutes can begin offering their own independently delivered, quality-assured OSAP eligible programs with approval from the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council.
• Read the official release to learn more.

 

• The provincial government is providing $2.4 million to train up to 300 personal support workers for positions in long-term care homes in the Ottawa area. 
• The pilot scholarship program is being delivered in partnership with Willis College and will be offered at no cost to accepted applicants.
• Following a unique delivery model, this program will pair four days of academic instruction with one day per week of volunteer work-integrated learning at a long-term care home.
• The 30-week-long program meets the current Ontario standard (2014) for PSW certificate education programs. The first cohort of 30 students begins classes this month.
• Visit the Willis College program page to learn more.

 

• The provincial government is providing $35,000 to help adult learners and displaced workers develop the skills they need to work in the textile computing industry. 
• The new online training program has been created by OCAD University and Myant Inc. and is part of a provincial plan to support more flexible, short-term and responsive education.
• The online training program in Human-Centred Design is a micro-credential that has been created to help people rapidly obtain the design skills they need to work at Myant Inc., a technology and advanced manufacturing company, and other workplaces. Participants will receive training on design principles and developing prototypes.
• Read the official release to learn more.

British Columbia:

• The provincial government is investing $1.26 million to add 108 ECE seats at public post-secondary institutions throughout the province, and approximately $16 million to fund 8,000 student bursaries.
• The majority of seats will be delivered through a work-integrated learning (WIL) approach, giving ECEs the opportunity to become certified while gaining relevant work experience.
• Programs are planned for five public post-secondary institutions beginning in January 2021
• Read the official release to learn more, or visit the ECEBC website to apply for the bursary.

 

• Non-profit organizations can now apply for the second round of the Province’s Work Experience Opportunities Grant to help deliver work experience placements to British Columbians with disabilities and people facing multiple barriers to employment.
• The grant helps eligible, provincial non-profit organizations and federally registered charities provide 12-week work experience opportunities for people with disabilities and multiple barriers who are eligible for disability benefits from the Province and Government of Canada.
• Applications will be accepted until midnight, February 16, 2021.
• Learn more about the Work Experience Opportunities Grant Program.

 

• A new Community and Employer Partnership project intended for immigrants will give up to 30 eligible British Columbians skills and training to prepare them for jobs as health-care assistants, recreational co-ordinators and community- and personal-support workers.
• The provincial government is providing nearly $365,000 to Cambria College Victoria to deliver skills and certification courses in two separate intakes of its Health Care Assistant Plus diploma program.
• Read the official release to learn more.

 

• The provincial government is investing $800,000 across four public post-secondary institutions to train community mental health workers.
• The four institutions are Camosun College in Victoria, Nicola Valley Institute of Technology in Burnaby, Selkirk College in Castlegar, and Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo.
• This investment is part of StrongerBC: BC’s Economic Recovery Plan to help people upskill or reskill and find their place in the post-COVID-19 economy.
• Visit Stronger BC to learn more.