MP Jamie Schmale has hope life will return to some semblance of normality in 2022, though he warned Canada’s postCOVID-19 recovery will be a difficult one.

During an interview, Schmale said as we move into a third calendar year of the pandemic, the long-term impacts of provincial lockdowns, “lavish” federal spending, and burnout of thousands of health care and education workers would be felt for years to come.

“This pandemic has certainly been challenging, and there are many obstacles we will have to overcome,” Schmale said.

“We need to get our inflation crisis, our labour crisis, our housing crisis under control. We need to bring a sense of fiscal sanity back to Ottawa.”

Late last year, inflation hit a three-decade high – up to 4.7 per cent in November – with many industries looking to recoup money lost during the early stages of the pandemic. Schmale feels the Liberal government has exacerbated the issue through its spending habits, forcing the Bank of Canada to print money at a recordbreaking rate.

Since February 2020, the government’s printing press has created north of $370 billion.

“This is a problem,” Schmale said. “The longer we keep printing, the more the dollar becomes worth less, the more the savings accounts of our working class becomes worth less. It’s a dangerous cycle, and the fear is that once this starts happening, businesses might have to close, we might see more dependence on government. Life is going to become more difficult for everyday Canadians.”

While he agreed with the rollout of programs such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit and several businessrelated supports during the early stages of the pandemic, Schmale feels the Liberals are taking advantage of the current situation to push through several self-serving initiatives he says will be deficit financed.

In its 2021 budget, the federal government promised to spend $30 billion over the next five years and $8.3 billion per year after that to create and sustain a national child care program, while $17.6 billion was set aside to aid Canada’s “green recovery”, with a target to cut the nation’s emissions to 36 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030.

The calling of an early election still rankles with Schmale too, a $610 million expense he feels nobody wanted and changed very little.

That money would have been better spent addressing issues such as housing, Schmale said. According to the Canadian Real Estate Association, house prices in Ontario increased by more than 15 per cent in 2021, pricing many out of the market.

Schmale said it’s an issue he’s all too familiar with.

“Housing is not affordable now for many Canadians. I think those trying to get into the market are feeling like they’re never going to be able to do it,” he said. “They just don’t see an opening.”

The feds have promised to build, preserve or repair 1.4 million homes over the next four years, but even that may not be enough to keep up with current demand, Schmale fears.

It’s not all bad though, Schmale said, as there have been some positives over the past 12 months.

“We’re one of the world leaders in terms of vaccinations, and we didn’t tip our hospital capacity at any point during the pandemic. There have been a lot of successes,” Schmale said.

“Looking ahead, we have much to do. We need to look after our tourism and hospitality sectors, which have probably been the hardest hit over the past two years. We need to get more people back into the workforce, and really kickstart our economy,” he added. “We have to rebuild our health care sector, address the affordability crisis. There’s a lot of work to do for us to get back on track, it’s going to be a long road back.”

An innovative new pilot program designed to connect troubled youth in Haliburton County with meaningful employment has seen some success in recent months.

The Haliburton Youth Hub was selected as one of six locations across Ontario to lead the Lift initiative last spring. The program, launched by the Canadian Association for Mental Health, provides integrated employment supports for individuals aged 14 to 25, helping them with a wide variety of job-based skills and connecting them with potential employers.

Ryan Martin has been running the program in the Highlands since September. He has around a dozen clients he’s actively working with, some of whom he’s already helped place in jobs.

“One of the really cool things about Lift is that it’s an individualized program. We really tailor our services to the needs of the clients,” Martin said. “Once we’ve connected with someone, we’ll meet with them, work on long-term career planning and get as much information as we can to get to know them and come up with ideas for what we can do for them.”

The most important component, Martin says, is figuring out a client’s preferences.

“They’re not going to be interested and properly apply themselves unless it’s something they really want to do,” he noted.

“Once we learn where their interests lie, we can take things to the next level, so to speak.” Once the ball starts rolling, things can develop quickly. One of the principals of Lift is rapid job searching, Martin said, meaning clients are, ideally, placed into a job within a month of signing up.

“Within that first month, I’m helping people do resumes, write cover letters, going out and actually applying and then helping them with the interview process,” Martin said. “The idea is that everyone should at least have been interviewed within 30 days of seeking out our services. I think we’ve been pretty successful in maintaining that so far.”

One of the interesting parts of Lift is that services don’t end as soon as a youth is matched with an employer. Martin says there are no timelines in place, so, theoretically, he could work with an individual for the entirety of the three-year pilot.

Job coaching has already become a key part of his job.

“The first goal is to get them a job. From there, we work to solve any performance issues, and just making sure they’re comfortable in the work place,” Martin said. “For the most part, our employers have been very supportive, and they’ve been happy with the youth we’ve matched them with.”

Martin is also available to offer supports and advice to employers throughout the process.

Lift operates from a zero-exclusion policy, meaning anyone is welcome to access services, regardless of the severity of their mental health, disability or substance abuse issues.

That policy is one of the main things that drew Martin to the job.

“The only criteria for engaging in this program is having a desire to work. We believe people can improve their situations by having a job,” Martin said. “Research shows that 60 per cent of people with serious mental illness report wanting to work, but only about 20 per cent are employed. So, this policy is all about recognizing that, regardless of their issues, these people are capable of being in the regular workforce.”