Sudbury Unemployment Rates Second Highest in Canada

The job situation in Sudbury is concerning as the city has lost some 4,000 employment positions since March 2015, a rate that makes the Greater Sudbury Area the second worst in Canada. The NDP is laying the blame at the doorstep of the liberal Kathleen Wynne Ontario government, according to Nickel Belt MPP.

“Despite seeing the upward trend of unemployment in Sudbury, the Wynne Liberals sat on their hands as Sudbury mines closed and family supporting jobs disappeared,” Nickel Belt MPP said in a press release.

“Instead of investing in job creation, the Wynne Liberals pressed ahead with its fire sale of Hydro One despite increasing hydro costs that will put more burden on families and businesses, and hamper job creation.”

Statistics Canada released numbers yesterday that revealed poor Sudbury unemployment rates that increased to 8.6 per cent through the last month. Compared to the previous month the rate represented a 0.3 per cent increase from 8.3 per cent, both of which are the highest in Ontario. Indeed, the only municipality in Canada with a worse jobless rate is Quebec town Saguenay with a 9.1 per cent unemployment rate.

“The Wynne government needs to act now on job-creating projects for the city like (widening) Highway 69, the development of the Ring of Fire, and other infrastructure. This government has run out of excuses for doing nothing,” Gelinas said.

Sudbury’s mining industry has taken a hit in recent years thanks to declining metal prices, the industry is hugely important to the local economy. However, there is a little more nuance to the facts as despite increasing employment rates, job numbers in Sudbury actually increased month on month. There are 80,200 people employed in Sudbury during March, which was 700 more than through February.