The Ontario government has expanded its list of essential workers eligible for free child care amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The list now includes those working in the food supply chain, retirement homes, grocery stores, pharmacies, and more federal employees, including those in the military.
“While our frontline workers are looking after us, we need to make sure we’re looking after them and their families,” Premier Doug Ford said in a news release Wednesday.
“Providing emergency child care for our essential workers gives parents one less thing to worry about when they’re on the job saving lives, protecting us, or keeping shelves stocked with food and necessities.”
In March, the government issued an emergency order instructing some child-care centres to reopen for frontline health-care workers with physical distancing measures in place and limits on the number of children.
The list was previously expanded before — on April 17 — to include additional health-care workers, first responders, and some federal employees.
Since the program introduced, the government said nearly 100 child-care centres have opened along with 40 licensed home child-care locations.
Officials said Wednesday’s expansion includes the following:
- Grocery store workers
- Workers in pharmacies
- Truck drivers (licence Class A and Class D)
- Workers in the food supply chain
- Workers in retirement homes
- Auxiliary workers in health-care settings, including cleaning staff and cooks
- Interpreters for those who are deaf
- Canadian Armed Forces and Department of National Defence staff working in Ontario
- Provincial officers and onsite staff in Ontario courts
- Additional workers in public safety and correctional services roles
The Ministry of Education is working with local communities to implement emergency child-care centres throughout the province.
A full list of those eligible for the program, and information on how to apply, can be found here.
On Tuesday, three workers at a Toronto emergency child-care centre were confirmed to have tested positive for the virus.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Ford said his government is looking to expand COVID-19 testing to the centres.
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