May 07, 2021
TORONTO – Vic Fedeli, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, issued the following statement in response to today’s monthly employment release by Statistics Canada:
"Employment in Ontario decreased by 152,700 in April. Driven by new, more contagious variants, the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to create unprecedented challenges for individuals, families and businesses across the province. These job numbers serve as a stark reminder that as we continue to do everything possible to support Ontarians, there is much work ahead of us.
We are not through the pandemic crisis and last month’s numbers remind us how important it is to stay focused on our plan to protect the health of Ontarians and their jobs. But we can see light at the end of the tunnel.
As of May 6, more than 5.8 million vaccine doses have been administered across the province, and the percentage of people in Ontario who have received first doses is rising dramatically as vaccine supply increases.The 2021 Budgetprovides more than $1 billion to support the administration, distribution and rollout of Ontario’s COVID‑19 vaccination campaign.
In addition to investments totalling $16.3 billion to protect people's health, the Ontario government is providing $23.3 billion to protect the economy through this pandemic and beyond. We must continue working together and building a solid foundation to help Ontario emerge from this pandemic and position our economy for job creation and long‑term prosperity. This includes unprecedented support for families, workers and Ontario’s small businesses. Ontario's COVID-19 action plan support now totals $51 billion.
Our government will continue to take the necessary steps to defeat this virus. With more vaccines being distributed and the record investments in Ontario’s 2021 Budget, we will emerge from this battle with COVID-19 stronger than ever before.”