A local MPP has requested Premier Doug Ford's help in supporting area workers who continue to feel the pinch of COVID-19-related economic challenges.
Windsor West MPP Lisa Gretzky of the NDP sent a letter to Ford Tuesday, asking the Tory government to provide additional help for people in the auto and casino industries in Windsor-Essex, specifically a dedicated fund for people who work in these areas.
"Thousands of workers across Ontario in both the gaming industry and auto sectors no longer qualify for federal programs like Employment Insurance and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB)," wrote Gretzky. "While these measures may have helped them in the early phases of the pandemic, many of these workers have now gone several months without income supports. Workers and their families cannot depend on the Canada Worker Lockdown Benefit. It is time that their provincial government steps in and provides the supports they need to get through this pandemic."
Gretzky pointed out that due to past lockdowns, the auto and hospitality industries were hard hit. Caesars Windsor, for example, has been temporarily closed once more after the government reverted to a modified Step Two of reopening earlier this month.
"Due to this, these workers often go months without proper supports to feed their families," wrote Gretzky. "This is devastating for them, their communities and the tens of thousands of spin-off jobs across the province that rely on their combined economic output. To this day, many have not been able to return to work at all."
Under a modified Stage Two, casinos, bingo halls, and other gaming establishments are closed. The restrictions are in place through at least January 26, but media reports Tuesday evening have indicated that Ford may announce a relaxing of restrictions before the week is out.
