Ontario is launching consultations on how to better support veterans and military spouses who are looking for work.
The province says it wants to hear from veterans, military families, employers, and those who work to support the military community about the barriers faced when looking for work.
A consultation paper says there are about 150,000 veterans in Ontario, with almost a third of them between the ages of 25 and 54, and an estimated 14,500 military spouses.
The consultations, which close Dec. 27, come as Labour Minister David Piccini announced today that Ontario is putting $4.3 million toward four projects to help hundreds of Canadian Armed Forces members transition to civilian life and train for jobs.
The projects receiving funding help veterans prepare for in-demand jobs in fields such as health care, software development, cybersecurity and the skilled trades.
A project by the True Patriot Love Foundation is set to help 130 veterans get jobs in health care, and the other projects are being run by Coding for Veterans, Helmets to Hardhats and the Roland Gossage Foundation, which offers programs in cybersecurity, web development and data science.
The True Patriot Love Foundation is also receiving an additional $1.04 million to improve veterans' access to mental health supports.