The Province has expanded its list of essential workers eligible for emergency child care during the pandemic.
Premier Doug Ford says the expanded list includes people in the food supply chain, retirement homes, grocery stores, pharmacies and certain federal employees including the military.
“My friends, we’re supporting all the frontline workers in meat packing companies, right across the board,” said Ford. “(And) in retail, the grocery clerks that stand there day-in and day-out making sure that they serve us as they go through the line. And my friends, we’re going to continue working and making sure we keep families safe here in Ontario.”
Since emergency child care was announced last month, almost 100 child care centres have reopened along with 40 licensed home childcare agencies in communities across the province.
To accommodate more children, 37 additional child care centres will open in the coming days.
The comprehensive list of additional frontline workers who can now access emergency childcare includes:
- Workers in grocery stores and pharmacies
- Truck drivers (driver’s licence Class A and Class D)
- Workers in the food supply chain, including food processing
- Workers in retirement homes
- Auxiliary workers in health care settings, including cooks and cleaning staff in hospitals and long-term care homes
- Interpreters and intervenors who support people who are deaf, deafened, hard of hearing and deafblind
- Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) emergency personnel
- Provincial officers and onsite staff in Ontario courts
- Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence staff working in Ontario
- Additional workers supporting public safety and correctional services
The list of active emergency childcare centres in Ontario can be found by clicking here
We are providing emergency child care to more frontline workers because we will do whatever it takes to keep families safe and supported. With strict safety protocols in place, we’re keeping the health and safety of your family a top priority. Learn more: https://t.co/H2UhPDJ3rG pic.twitter.com/5KngPXC6NN
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) April 29, 2020
To watch Premier Doug Ford’s full April 29th address, see below.