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Ontario’s economic recovery depends on a safe return of schools and child care

Catherine Fife (Waterloo)

Catherine Fife MPP (Waterloo), NDP critic for Economic Growth and Job Creation, has issued a statement after a new report from the Conference Board of Canada revealed that Ontario’s economy will record a steep 7.6 per cent decline in real GDP growth this year:

 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has hit every business across the province, with so many still struggling to survive and workers still being laid off. While other provinces are on the path to recovery, Ontario is still facing a bleak economic outlook. The failure of the Ford government to provide direct supports for small businesses and refusing to offer rent relief to help them get through the crisis, has made the situation even worse for Ontarians.

 

One of the key sectors highlighted in the report is Ontario’s auto industry with sales plunging by almost 60 per cent in the second quarter of this year. The NDP has been urging Ford to put forward a province-wide auto strategy to stop jobs from disappearing that may never come back, and yet he’s done nothing. Now more than ever, we need action to support auto workers and ensure our manufacturing sector can not only survive the crisis, but come back even stronger.

 

To get Ontario back on track and get more people back in the workforce, parents need to know their kids will be able to safely return to school or child care. Ontarians need a government that will invest in a safe September so workers can return to their jobs and our economy can begin to recover.”

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