Seventeen organizations across Newfoundland and Labrador have been left wondering what’s next after Ottawa made good on indications that it will be administering Workforce Development Funding across the country, instead of the provinces.

Provincial minister Gerry Byrne has been sounding the alarm about the change for some time, indicating that the province could lose the $16.7 million allotted to help organizations with training and workplace supports.

Avalon Employment Inc. helps to employ people on the autism spectrum find work in the community. CEO Sean Wiltshire says Ottawa’s announcement has created great uncertainty.

“Because the government has reduced funding and the province has less money to spend in this area, we are unsure of what will happen,” says Wiltshire. He says new resources now have to be found once the current level of funding comes to an end in September.

Wiltshire says they’ve seen great success in employing hundreds of people who might otherwise not have had the opportunity.

“We helped an individual who worked in finance who had late diagnosed autism. He went from being on income support, to being an auditor with a private firm in town. We also have a young lady who had been unemployed for a number of years, took a job at Staples, and she’s now working full-time and is not on income support anymore.”