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// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs David Piccini a painter? No, he's a picc in politics.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Honourable
David Piccini
ECO MPP
Piccini in 2019
Ontario Minister of Infrastructure
Incumbent
Assumed office
September 10, 2026
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byKinga Surma
Ontario Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development
In office
June 18, 2021 – September 10, 2026
PremierDoug Ford
Preceded byJeff Yurek
Succeeded byTrevor Jones
Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities
In office
June 26, 2018 – June 18, 2021
Minister
Member of the Ontario Provincial Parliament
for Northumberland—Peterborough South
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 7, 2018
Preceded byRiding established
Personal details
BornDavid Winsor Piccini
(1988-09-29) September 29, 1988 (age 37)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
PartyProgressive Conservative
SpouseFaith Chipman[1]
OccupationPolitician

David Winsor Piccini[2] ECO MPP (born September 29, 1988) is a Canadian politician who has been the Ontario minister of infrastructure since September 2026. He was previously Ontario minister of labour, immigration, training and skills development from 2023 to 2026. He was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election and represents Northumberland—Peterborough South as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.

Early life

[edit]

Piccini was raised in Port Hope, Ontario.[3]

Career

[edit]

Early career

[edit]

Piccini was employed supporting the international work of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada from 2015.[3] In 2018, he helped found the Canadian International Health Education Association, leading one of Canada's largest healthcare missions to the Gulf region.

In 2015, Piccini ran in Ottawa-Vanier for the Conservative Party of Canada, but finished third.[4]

Legislative Assembly of Ontario; Minister of the Environment

[edit]

Piccini was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2018 provincial election.[5] He represents the riding of Northumberland—Peterborough South as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.[3]

After he was elected, Piccini served from 2018-21 as a member of the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, served from 2018-19 as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Colleges and Universities, and served from 2021-23 as the youngest-ever (at 33 years of age) Ontario Minister of the Environment, Conservation and Parks.[6][3]

Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development

[edit]

Piccini became Ontario's Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training & Skills Development on September 22, 2023.[6]

On November 14, 2023, Piccini introduced Ontario's Working for Workers Four Act, his first as Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.[7] The bill, which lowered the employment period needed by firefighters and fire investigators to be eligible to receive compensation when diagnosed with esophageal cancer from 25 to 15 years, received Royal Assent on March 21, 2024.[8] The legislation also made changes to the Employment Standards Act (ESA), these included prohibiting employers from deducting wages for stolen property or unpaid bills, and mandating payment for trial shifts. The changes also required transparency in tip-sharing practices and salary disclosures in job postings,[9][10] banned the use of Canadian work experience as a job application requirement, improved oversight of third-party assessments for international qualifications, clarified vacation pay provisions, and allowed inflation-adjusted increases to Workplace Safety and Insurance Board benefits.[11]

In August 2024, he confronted Fred Hahn, the President of CUPE Ontario, and told Hahn "you have to stop hating Jews."[12] Piccini was praised for that by, among others, former Conservative leader Erin O'Toole, psychologist and author Jordan Peterson, and Conservative MPs Michelle Rempel Garner and Melissa Lantsman.[13]

Controversies and Scandals

[edit]

Skills Development Fund

[edit]

In October 2025, the Auditor General of Ontario, Shelley Spence, released an audit of the province's Skills Development Fund (SDF). The audit concluded that although the application and selection processes complied with provincial policies and program guidelines, the selection process was "not fair, transparent or accountable".[14] The auditor found that unlike similar funds in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, and Newfoundland and Labrador, Piccini's office was heavily involved in specific funding decisions, overriding the decisions of non-partisan civil servants more than half the time.

Ministry staff evaluated and ranked applications before the minister's office selected projects for funding. Of the applications selected during the first five rounds, 549, or 54 per cent, had been ranked "Poor", "Low" or "Medium" by ministry staff. They received approximately $742 million, representing 56 per cent of the funding awarded during those rounds. The audit also identified 670 applications ranked "High" that were not selected.[14] The Auditor General found that 64 low- and medium-ranked applications selected for funding had retained registered lobbyists to lobby the ministry or minister before their selection; those applicants received approximately $126 million.[14]

Following the report, Ontario's three opposition parties called for Piccini's resignation, while Piccini defended the fund, saying that it had helped thousands of people find employment.[15]

That month, The Trillium reported that Piccini had attended the wedding of Michael Rudderham, a longtime friend and registered lobbyist. Two of Rudderham's clients, Keel Digital Solutions and LifeLabs, had received more than $8.5 million in SDF grants.[16]

In December 2025, Ontario Integrity Commissioner Cathryn Motherwell opened an investigation into Piccini's involvement in the SDF following separate requests from NDP leader Marit Stiles and Liberal MPP Stephanie Smyth. The complaints alleged possible violations of provisions of the Members' Integrity Act concerning conflicts of interest, influence, gifts and other matters.[17]

In September 2026, Piccini was moved from Ministry of Labour to Minister of Infrastructure[18] while investigations remain ongoing.

Electoral record

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2022 Ontario general election: Northumberland—Peterborough South
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeDavid Piccini26,41950.93+5.61
LiberalJeff Kawzenuk12,93624.94+0.77
New DemocraticKim McArthur-Jackson6,80613.12−11.38
GreenLisa Francis2,9425.67+1.14
Ontario PartyVanessa Head1,5983.08 
New BlueJoshua Chalhoub1,1702.26 
Total valid votes 51,871100.0  
Total rejected, unmarked, and declined ballots 258
Turnout 52,12951.72
Eligible voters 99,034
Progressive Conservative hold Swing +2.42
Source(s)
  • "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for Each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 18, 2023.
  • "Statistical Summary by Electoral District" (PDF). Elections Ontario. 2022. Archived from the original on May 21, 2023.
2018 Ontario general election: Northumberland—Peterborough South
Party Candidate Votes%±%
Progressive ConservativeDavid Piccini27,38645.32+9.78
New DemocraticJana Papuckoski14,80424.50+6.03
LiberalLou Rinaldi14,60324.17-17.35
GreenJeff Wheeldon2,7404.53+0.27
LibertarianJohn O'Keefe4250.70
TrilliumDerek Sharp2780.46
Stop Climate ChangePaul Cragg1870.31
Total valid votes 60,423100.0  
Progressive Conservative notional gain from Liberal Swing +1.88
Source: Elections Ontario[19]
2015 Canadian federal election
Party Candidate Votes%±%Expenditures
LiberalMauril Bélanger36,47457.57+19.47$163,698.89
New DemocraticEmilie Taman12,19419.25-9.43$123,293.39
ConservativeDavid Piccini12,10919.11-8.84$74,698.91
GreenNira Dookeran1,9473.07-1.99$8,775.54
LibertarianCoreen Corcoran5030.79–$747.12
Marxist–LeninistChristian Legeais1280.2-0.03–
Total valid votes/Expense limit 63,355100.0 $219,479.72
Total rejected ballots 418––
Turnout 63,773––
Eligible voters 83,570
Source: Elections Canada[20][21]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ https://www.cp24.com/politics/queens-park/2025/10/30/ontario-labour-ministers-wife-lobbied-for-advocate-of-colleges-that-got-millions-in-grants-records/
  2. ↑ "Hon. David Piccini". Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  3. 1 2 3 4 McIntosh, Emma (January 5, 2022). "Meet David Piccini, environment minister in Ford's Ontario". The Narwhal.
  4. ↑ "PC David Piccini elected in Northumberland-Peterborough South".
  5. ↑ Draper, John (June 7, 2018). "David Piccini wins big". Cobourg News.
  6. 1 2 "Hon. David Piccini," ola.org.
  7. ↑ "Ontario Newsroom".
  8. ↑ "Ontario Newsroom".
  9. ↑ "He earns how much?! Pay transparency is coming to Ontario, but are companies — and workers — ready for it?". Toronto Star. December 31, 2024.
  10. ↑ "The end of secret salaries? What pay transparency means for you". The Globe and Mail. October 24, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Ontario's Working for Workers' Act 2024 given royal assent".
  12. ↑ "LILLEY: Piccini's grilling of Hahn was perfect, now Hahn must go; CUPE boss has repeatedly made antisemitic comments, it's time for Fred Hahn to be sent packing," The Toronto Sun.
  13. ↑ "“Stop hating Jews”: Ontario labour minister confronts CUPE president Fred Hahn," True North.
  14. 1 2 3 Office of the Auditor General of Ontario (October 1, 2025). Skills Development Fund – Training Stream (PDF) (Report). Toronto. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  15. ↑ Casey, Liam; Jones, Allison (October 20, 2025). "Ontario labour minister under fire over skills development fund". The Canadian Press. CityNews. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  16. ↑ Pinkerton, Charlie; Hauen, Jack (October 9, 2025). "Ontario labour minister attended lobbyist's wedding after granting his clients millions in training funds". The Trillium. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  17. ↑ Southern, Richard; Marchesan, John (December 18, 2025). "Ontario Integrity Commissioner investigating Labour Minister David Piccini". CityNews. Retrieved September 23, 2026.
  18. ↑ Jones, Allison (September 10, 2026). "Ford shuffles cabinet, moves embattled labour minister to infrastructure profile". CBC News.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ↑ "Summary of Valid Votes Cast for each Candidate" (PDF). Elections Ontario. p. 8. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  20. ↑ Elections Canada – Confirmed candidates for Ottawa—Vanier, 30 September 2015
  21. ↑ Elections Canada – Preliminary Election Expenses Limits for Candidates
[edit]
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