Ford government boosts STEM funding at struggling Ontario post-secondary schools [Video]

The Ford government has unveiled three-quarters of a billion dollars for STEM programs at colleges and universities across Ontario in a bid to insulate the economy through more local skills training.

On Tuesday, the government said it would spend an extra $750 million on post-secondary programs teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The funding could unlock 20,500 new seats.

Minister of Colleges and Universities Nolan Quinn said the funds would help to protect the provincial economy and local workforce from the threat of economic turbulence caused by the U.S.-Canada trade war.

“Our government is working to protect Ontario by building a more resilient economy that can withstand whatever comes our way, including tariffs and economic uncertainty from the U.S.,” he said in a statement.

“This investment will expand training capacity at our world-class publicly funded colleges and universities, connecting students to good-paying jobs and securing our world-class workforce for decades to come.”

The money will be available …