THUNDER BAY - With all Ontario schools closing to in-person learning after the April break, the provincial government is once again offering frontline workers access to free emergency childcare.
"Our government is once again stepping up to provide health care and other frontline workers with access to emergency child care as they continue to work around the clock in our fight against COVID-19," said Stephen Lecce, Minister of Education, in a statement. "Doing so will allow these frontline workers to perform their duties knowing that their children are safe and in good hands."
Emergency childcare will be available to health care workers, childcare workers, grocery store and pharmacy workers, public safety workers including police, fire, and paramedics, justice, court, and correctional system workers, individuals working in developmental services and homeless shelters, construction workers, transit workers and truck drivers, and certain federal employees including Canada Border Services and Canada Post.
Emergency childcare is meant to ensure critical frontline workers who cannot work remotely can continue to do so and is available at no cost for school-age children.
"Child care is an absolutely critical part of our fight against COVID-19, and will be key to our economic recovery. I want to thank Ontario's dedicated child care staff who have stepped up time and again to provide your children with the care they deserve," Lecce said.
Childcare workers are also eligible to be vaccinated as part of phase two of Ontario's COVID-19 vaccine distribution plan.
