Ontario jobs fund not an example of ‘corruption,’ union leader tells Empire Club of Canada

Despite the fact he's embroiled in controversy, embattled Labour Minister David Piccini got a hero's welcome at the Empire Club.

Ontario’s embattled labour minister got a standing ovation during an address at the Empire Club of Canada on Wednesday and heard a spirited defense from the leader of one of the unions that’s received millions from his ministry and a controversial jobs training fund.

The Labourers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, was one of the sponsors of the $129-a-plate event in an eighth-floor ballroom in downtown Toronto, and its Canadian director Joseph Mancinelli addressed what he called “the elephant in the room” as he introduced David Piccini.

“Some of the things that I’ve heard, and the attacks, the unfounded attacks that have been focused and thrown at Minister Piccini and the premier, and words like corruption are words that should never be spoken in the legislature,” Mancinelli said.

“And quite frankly, those who are speaking, those are the corrupt people that are ruining this province,” he continued.

• ‘Fed up’: NDP Leader Marit Stiles doubles down, says Ford government ‘corrupt’ after getting ejected from Ontario legislature

Just blocks away and only an hour before in Ontario’s legislature, NDP leader Marit Stiles was speaking out against the Ford government’s management of the $2.5 billion Skills Development Fund in Question Period.

“This premier used to be a fierce opponent of the government gravy train, remember that? And now he’s conducting it. Toot, toot, all aboard,” Stiles said, miming pulling a cord to make a train engine’s horn sound.

“MPPs, strip club owners, big-time CEOs, campaign managers for the Conservative party, all aboard, while regular Ontarians are getting left behind,” she continued.

• Exec pay rises for Skills Development Fund recipients, including one tied to ‘adult entertainment club’

Questions continue about how the fund is managed

Stiles has been among the opposition politicians raising concerns about the Skills Development Fund, which has dominated Question Period for months after an auditor general’s report found the political staff overruled non-partisan recommendations about where to spend the money in a way that was not “transparent, fair or accountable.”

In an interview, New Blue Party of Ontario leader Jim Karahalios said he believed the months of headlines around the Skills Development Fund had been a factor behind a bump in his party’s traffic and donations in a sign that even as criticism comes from the left in the legislature, some on the right are listening.

“They’re spending taxpayer money on corporate welfare. It’s hard for the general public to wrap their head around that because it goes against everything they’ve been taught about what the PC Party is,” Karahalios said.

Among the examples that has come up in the legislature is how roughly $10 million from the fund went to a recipient whose partner organization started an “adult entertainment club,” and another $2 million went to a company belonging to a dentist whose practice claimed it treated “the Ford Family.”

An analysis by CTV News found at least $100 million in Skills Development Fund grants went to companies that had hired lobbyists with ties to Ontario’s premier, with about $85 million of that to companies represented by Rubicon.

Rubicon’s CEO is Kory Teneycke, who ran Ford’s election campaigns in 2022 and 2025. A Rubicon partner, Sarah Letersky, is listed as an executive officer on the Empire Club’s board.

Letersky said in a message to CTV News that she was not involved in Wednesday’s event with Piccini, and Elisabeth Burks, the principal advisor and lead of strategy, revenue, marketing, and communications said the event was non-partisan.

“For more than a century, the Empire Club of Canada has been an open and independent forum where leaders from across the political spectrum and from all sectors share their perspectives with the public,” Burks said.

“Our role is to convene timely conversations, not to endorse the views of any individual speaker or stakeholder, whether the Dalai Lama or Winston Churchill. Programming decisions are made by staff within established governance processes. Safeguarding the integrity of our platform is a core responsibility.”

Piccini defends grant decisions

In his speech at Wednesday’s event, Piccini spoke about the need to break down barriers to interprovincial trade and prepare Canada’s workforce to rise to challenges.

“Our government is setting our workforce up for success for years to come,” he said.

In a Q&A section hosted by Amanda Galbraith of the crisis communications firm Oyster Group, Galbraith asked the labour minister about the Skills Development Fund.

“One of the concerns the A.G. raised and what we’ve heard a lot about is why lower scoring programs or submissions were awarded over higher ranked submissions. Can you tell us a little bit about that decision process and what you’re seeing that maybe we’re not seeing in the media and the public,” she asked.

“First of all, I want to say I’ve never skirted ministerial accountability. I am accountable as minister for the decisions that we make as a government. And those decisions have stemmed, as I said, from broad government priorities,” Piccini said.

The minister received a standing ovation after his speech and after the Q&A session.