Workforce Planning Board of Toronto

Workforce Planning Board of Toronto
Name	Workforce Planning Board of Toronto
Formation	1995
Type	Non-profit organization
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario
Region served	Toronto

Workforce Planning Board of Toronto is a nonprofit community organization focused on labour market analysis, employment planning, and skills development in Toronto and the surrounding GTA. It produces research reports, convenes stakeholders, and informs policy debates involving municipal, provincial, and federal actors such as City of Toronto, Province of Ontario, and Government of Canada. The Board engages with sector councils, colleges, unions, employers, and community agencies including George Brown College, Humber College, and United Way Greater Toronto to align training and hiring practices.

History

Established in the mid-1990s amid broader Ontario workforce reforms, the Board emerged alongside organizations such as Ontario Chamber of Commerce and provincial workforce planning networks like Workforce Planning Ontario. Early activities paralleled initiatives by Labour Force Development Board models and responded to policy shifts under premiers such as Mike Harris and later Dalton McGuinty. It collaborated with municipal planning units including Toronto Employment and Social Services and research institutes such as Toronto Community Foundation and Metcalf Foundation. The Board’s timeline intersects with national developments involving Human Resources Development Canada and sector strategies linked to Canadian Labour Congress dialogues. During the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, the Board partnered with entities like Industry Canada and Public Health Ontario to analyze labour disruptions and recovery pathways.

Mandate and Functions

The Board’s mandate centers on local labour market intelligence, stakeholder convening, and evidence-based workforce planning, working with institutions including Ontario Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Development Canada, and postsecondary providers like Seneca College. Functions include producing reports comparable to those by Conference Board of Canada and datasets used by agencies such as Statistics Canada and Workforce Innovation Centre. It supports employer planning in sectors represented by groups like Toronto Board of Trade, Toronto Transit Commission, Ontario Hospital Association, and Toronto District School Board. The Board also informs immigration and settlement planning with stakeholders such as Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, and settlement agencies including MOSAIC.

Governance and Funding

Governance is through a volunteer board of directors drawn from private, public, and non-profit sectors, echoing governance models of organizations like United Way Centraide Canada and Greater Toronto Airports Authority advisory boards. Funding sources include project grants from provincial ministries such as Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, federal programs administered by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, municipal contracts with City of Toronto divisions, and contributions from philanthropic bodies including Metcalf Foundation, Trillium Foundation, and corporate partners like RBC. Accountability mechanisms mirror standards set by Canada Revenue Agency for registered charities and reporting expectations from funders like Employment Ontario and workforce observatories such as Social Research and Demonstration Corporation.

Programs and Initiatives

Programs span sectoral labour market studies, employer engagement sessions, job matching pilots, and skills training coordination. The Board has run initiatives with postsecondary partners such as University of Toronto, Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University), and York University to bridge academic research and employer needs. Sector initiatives target areas including healthcare with allies like St. Michael's Hospital, construction alongside Ontario General Contractors Association, information technology with groups like Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas, and hospitality with Food and Beverage Ontario. Workforce development pilots have aligned with provincial employment frameworks exemplified by Local Employment Planning Councils and national strategies like Skills for the Future dialogues. The Board has produced labour supply-demand projections analogous to work by Canadian Apprenticeship Forum and coordinated employer-led training projects with entities such as MaRS Discovery District and Digital Nova Scotia.

Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement

The Board maintains partnerships across municipal agencies, educational institutions, industry associations, labour organizations, and community service providers. Collaborative partners include Toronto Public Library for information access, Economic Developers Council of Ontario for regional planning, Ontario Science Centre for STEM outreach, and workforce intermediaries such as Career Colleges Ontario. It engages unions and labour councils including Toronto and York Region Labour Council, employer groups like Greater Toronto Airports Authority, and settlement organizations such as COSTI Immigrant Services. Multilateral projects have involved funders and research bodies including CIHR, SSHRC, and regional economic development agencies like Toronto Global.

Impact and Evaluation

The Board’s impact is measured via indicators used by policy analysts at Statistics Canada and program evaluators at Auditor General of Ontario standards, tracking outcomes such as employer uptake, participant employment rates, and sectoral vacancy reduction. Evaluations reference methodologies used by McKinsey & Company and academic partners at University of Waterloo and Ryerson University to assess program effectiveness. Its research has been cited in municipal strategies by City of Toronto Planning Division, provincial labour strategies at Ontario Ministry of Labour Training and Skills Development, and federal workforce reports from Employment and Social Development Canada. Ongoing performance reviews incorporate stakeholder feedback from employers, educational partners, and community agencies such as The Neighbourhood Group to refine programming.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in Toronto