
TORONTO — Ontario lost more than 355,000 jobs last year - the single largest annual decline on record - due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the province's fiscal watchdog said Thursday.,In addition to the job losses, more than 765,000 Ontarians saw their work hours reduced, Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman said in a new report that looked at the impact COVID-19 and the public health measures to fight it have had on communities.,"We've seen a lot of people exit the labour force because a lot of them weren't going to look for jobs in areas that have been hammered, or had other concerns about going back into a labor force while there was a pandemic in play.",Ontario has gone through two lockdown periods in the pandemic where public health measures have restricted business operations across the province.,Deputy Premier Christine Elliott said the government's focus has been on protecting the health and safety of people in the province, but called the job losses "concerning".