Truck schools ask Ontario to restore Better Jobs Ontario and Ontario Job Grant funding paused since Oct. 9

The Truck Training Schools Association of Ontario (TTSAO) is calling on the province to immediately reinstate funding for Better Jobs Ontario and the Ontario Job Grant, two programs that help pay for commercial driver training. In a release dated Nov. 11, the association said the funding pause began on Oct. 9, 2026.

The TTSAO said the pause puts career plans on hold for Ontarians who rely on the programs to get into commercial driver training, and puts pressure on the schools that provide it. It said its member schools have invested millions of dollars in equipment, facilities, instructors and curriculum to meet or exceed provincial training standards.

Many of those schools are family-owned businesses that employ local workers, the association said. If the pause continues, it warned, they could face layoffs, reduced services or permanent closures, with knock-on effects for local suppliers and service providers.

"The government should be targeting the high-risk, non-compliant operators that continue to undermine safety and training standards, not the schools that have spent years following the rules and investing in quality education," said Ken Adams, chair of the TTSAO board.

What the programs pay for

Better Jobs Ontario is an application-based grant for unemployed people who have been laid off or come from low-income households, covering skills training of up to two years in in-demand occupations. According to the province's program overview, financial help can cover tuition, books, other instructional costs, transportation and a basic living allowance. The same page says more than 4,000 people started training through the program in 2024-25, in occupations that include transport truck driving.

The TTSAO release does not say why the funding was paused.

Training rules are changing at the same time

The call comes as Ontario reworks entry-level truck training. In September, the province announced a standardized entry-level curriculum of more than 103 hours that organizations offering truck driver training will have to follow, with implementation expected early next year. It also set a mandatory six-month waiting period, effective Jan. 1, 2027, before Class G or higher licence holders can attempt a Class A road test.

Adams backed that curriculum at the time, saying in the province's release that "quality training saves lives." In this week's statement, the association urged the province to restore funding "so students can move forward with their training and schools that meet Ontario's standards can continue preparing the next generation of commercial drivers."