Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development
Office of the Assistant Deputy Minister
Employment and Training Division
777 Bay Street, 26th Floor
Toronto ON M5G 2E5
To: Employment Ontario Delivery Partners
From: David Carter-Whitney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Employment and Training Division
Date: March 20, 2020
Subject: Update on Employment Ontario Allocations for 2020-21: Literacy and Basic Skills, Employment Service, Youth Job Connection, Youth Job Connection: Summer and Canada-Ontario Job Grant
Dear Employment Ontario Partner:
I am writing to provide you with further information in light of the March 17th memo to the Employment Ontario (EO) Network regarding the Premier’s message declaring a state of emergency under s 7.0.1 (1) in the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act. As mentioned, this is a challenging and evolving situation and we are committed to providing you with the most up to date information including the status of transfer payment agreements for 2020-21. The ministry is committed to having agreements finalized in time for the upcoming fiscal year to support the Premier’s commitment that most businesses remain open to ensure the citizens of Ontario continue to have the support they require.
The work you do impacts the livelihood of many Ontarians and the province’s economy as such, business continuity is critical to ensuring services are in place to support communities. As such, the Ministry has made some decisions regarding the 2020-21 allocations exercise for the Literacy and Basic Skills, Employment Service, Youth Job Connection, Youth Job Connection: Summer and Canada-Ontario Job Grant programs. Given the current context with the Global COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry’s approach will be to maintain status quo funding, at 2019-20 funding levels, for all service providers and programs across the province for the next fiscal year.
In Employment Services Transformation prototype communities, service providers delivering in-scope programs will receive a six month transfer payment agreement at status quo funding. This will support continuity of services for communities and individuals as they address this rapidly evolving situation.
As always, the Ministry will continue to monitor service provider performance against contracted commitments and improvement plans, and consider in-year funding adjustments, as necessary.
Service providers will be contacted by their local service delivery office shortly to finalize transfer payment agreements for the upcoming year. As this is a rapidly changing environment, the ministry is open to having additional discussions to ensure that the people of Ontario are supported through provincial employment and training programs. The ministry will continue to work with you to support business continuity and ensure that clients will continue to have access to the services they need.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to supporting job seekers, employers, and communities throughout our Employment Ontario network.
If you have any questions, please contact your Employment and Training Consultant. Sincerely,
Original signed by David Carter-Whitney, Assistant Deputy Minister, Employment and Training Division
cc: Erin McGinn
cc: Andrew Irvine
cc: Tariq Ismati
cc: Jennifer Barton
cc: Heather Cross
cc: David Cronin
