QUINTE WEST — They serve us so Ontario wants to serve them.

That was the message from Premier Doug Ford Wednesday as he announced the launch of consultations with military families to establish a “one-stop-shop” hotline that will make it easier for military families in the province to get information about schooling, job opportunities, child care, licensing for drivers and vehicles, and other programs and services.

Speaking at the National Air Force Museum of Canada, Ford was joined by Bay of Quinte MPP Todd Smith, Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade, Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MPP Bill Walker, Minister of Government and Consumer Services, Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP Laurie Scott, Minister fo Labour, and Durham MPP Lindsey Park, Parliamentary Assistant to Attorney General Caroline Mulroney.

“When talking with military members, the upheaval of moving weighed heavily on their shoulders,” Ford said. “These moves cause stress and anxiety, and our government wants to do all we can to make life a little bit easier for military family members. When they have to go from city to city right across the country, you can just imagine the stress they feel. Military families move three times more often than the average Canadian throughout their career. Each and every one of us know how much it takes to move a house, imagine doing that many times. They uproot the biggest supporters so they can fulfill their duty to the military and to Canada. During this week of remembrance we should never ever forget the families and the loved ones who stand behind the members of our military.”

Ford said job opportunities for military spouses are a big issue.

“Just imagine, you’re moving your whole family, taking care of schooling, job opportunities for their spouse because when they go for a job interview, I’ve heard from their families, a lot of companies don’t hire them because they don’t want to put in the effort of training someone for a year and then they’re moving. In my opinion that’s unacceptable,” Ford said. “We have to take care of military families. We’re going to do what we can to reduce the anxiety and the stress of moving.”

The consultation process will occur in military communities and is expected to take about three months. There is an online portal available at www.ontario.ca/page/military-families-services-and-support, and other provinces and federal jurisdictions will be included to form a complete picture of the challenges military families face. Results will inform the telephone hotline Ontario will establish to provide military families new to Ontario with the key resources they need on arrival.

“I’ve heard first-hand from military families in Trenton on the challenges they have faced in accessing services and resources when first moving to Ontario,” said Smith. “Having spent the last 25 years in this region I’ve seen military families come and go here at Trenton, many of them have made their home here. I’ve spoke with these families and I know how difficult the transition can be when coming from another province or country. I am proud our government is taking swift action in moving forward with its Speech from the Throne commitment to create a military hotline. I’m also happy to announce we will be launching a military caucus at Queen’s Park which is an initiative that I’ve been talking about for the last couple of years.”

“The people of Ontario are grateful for the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform,” said Ford. “We know their dedicated service is only possible with the support of their families. We promised we would do what we can to make moving to and living in Ontario easier, and that’s exactly what we are doing.

Details on the consultation process will be available early in the new year. In the meantime, military families can visit Ontario.ca/Military Families.