ONDP: London tops country in unemployment amid growing jobs disaster

LONDON — Ontario NDP MPPs Terence Kernaghan (London North Centre), Teresa Armstrong (London—Fanshawe), and Peggy Sattler (London West) say London’s unemployment rate hitting 9.1%, now the highest in the country, is a devastating blow for workers and a clear sign of a growing jobs disaster in southwestern Ontario.

More than 11,000 jobs have been lost in just three months, following months of steady losses across the region.

“This is absolutely devastating,” said Kernaghan. “London now has the highest unemployment rate in the entire country. Thousands of hardworking people in our community are out of work, and families are being pushed past the breaking point trying to survive. This government cannot continue to stand by while people are suffering at this scale”.

Armstrong said the situation is spiralling and workers are being left behind.

“We’ve been hearing it directly from workers across southwestern Ontario. Folks are facing layoffs, hours cut, and no stability,” said Armstrong. “Now London is at the top of the list for all the wrong reasons. This is getting worse, not better, and this should be a massive wake up call for the Ford government.”

Sattler said the scale and speed of the job losses should be raising alarm bells.

“When over 11,000 jobs disappear in a matter of months, that’s not a fluke, that’s a crisis,” said Sattler. “Entire families are being hit, and the effects ripple through every part of our local economy.”

The London MPPs say the Ford government has failed to respond to mounting job losses across the region. “This is a jobs disaster, and it demands action,” said the MPPs. “People in London cannot afford more inaction while their livelihoods disappear.”