Amanda Stephenson Valerie Whitt and her daughters, six-year-old Jordyne (left) and 10-year-old Alex are shown in a handout photo. Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-John Sue-Chong July 07, 2021 - 8:00 PM CALGARY - If not for COVID-19, Valerie Whitt might never have summoned the courage to quit her job. The 50-year-old Markham, Ont. woman had been a project manager for Ontario Health for 13 years. She felt drained and exhausted from battling traffic to and from her downtown Toronto office for up to two hours every day, but she was intimidated by the thought of giving up her stable position and steady paycheque.