NDP sounds alarm about Ford cuts leading to deep job losses

QUEEN’S PARK — The Ontario NDP is sounding the alarm about the devastating impact Doug Ford’s deep cuts will have on families, and kids especially, as front-line job losses mount in key sectors like education and health care.

A Toronto Star report has revealed that Ford’s scheme to increase class sizes could take roughly 1,000 teachers out of classrooms at the Toronto District School Board alone. Province wide, the job losses in education as a result of Doug Ford’s bigger class sizes and on-line class requirements will balloon to more than 10,000.

“You can’t take thousands of teachers out of the classroom and expect our kids not to suffer,” said Ontario NDP Education critic Marit Stiles. “Parents know that fewer adults in each school and more kids in each classroom is a formula for poor educational outcomes, and big problems in schools. These cuts will have a serious impact on our kids’ classrooms, and their futures.”

The education sector isn’t the only place Ford’s Conservatives are making cuts that directly target kids. The axe has already fallen on the Ontario Child Advocate and his office, which will soon mean 20 fewer front-line workers to help kids in crisis. KidsAbility, an autism services provider, has laid off nine staff as Ford rips support away from kids with high needs and gives everyone else less. And now Brant Family and Children’s Services has announced that it has been forced to let go 26 workers following claw backs by the Conservatives.

“It’s disgusting for the Ford Conservatives to not only make cuts on the backs of kids, but to make cuts on the backs of some of Ontario’s most vulnerable kids,” said Ontario NDP Deputy Leader Sara Singh.

The looming loss of front-line positions in the education sector adds to job losses that have already occurred in the health care sector. Kitchener’s Grand River Hospital has cut 25 full-time nursing positions and 15 part-time nursing positions, while Sudbury has lost 60 nursing positions on Doug Ford’s watch.

“Ford is dragging Ontario backwards by taking resources away from hospitals and classrooms,” said NDP Health critic France Gélinas. “Education and health care workers are overstretched as it is. Mounting cuts to front-line staff in some of Ontario’s most critical public services will only hurt everyday families, especially amid the ongoing hallway medicine crisis.”

More job losses are expected in the health care sector as a new super agency is formed and swallows up organizations like Cancer Care Ontario and Trillium Gift of Life. And the job losses don’t end there. Five workers will also lose their jobs with the closure of the Environmental Commissioner’s Office.

“Ontarians deserve better than to be told they have to accept deep service cuts in classrooms and hospitals while Doug Ford pads the pockets of his pals with cushy appointments,” said Singh. “We should be investing in the services families and children across the province count on, not making callous cuts.”