Ontario continues to hold out on the federal government’s $10-a-day childcare program, making it the last province or territory in Canada without a deal.
But, multiple media outlets report that Queen’s Park may be close to a deal.
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Nunavut Premier P.J. Akeeagok announced a $66-million deal aiming to cut Nunavut’s daycare fees in half by the end of 2022 and to $10 per day by March 2024.
This leaves Ontario as the final province or territory to sign on to the deal that was announced by Trudeau in April.
If the province signs on to the deal, it will have access to more home and centre-based licensed childcare, as well as federal funding to improve the quality and inclusivity of childcare in the province, Morna Ballantyne told Humber News.
Ballantyne is the executive director of Child Care Now, Canada’s national childcare advocacy association.
“Ontario generally has the highest fees in the country right now particularly in the larger urban communities, Toronto has the highest base [fee] in the country,” she said.
The deal would help reduce child care fees by 50 per cent in 2022, and reduce them to $10 per day by 2025-2026.
“Families in Ontario continue to be crushed by Ontario’s massive child care fees. The price of everything continues to climb, and parents in Ontario are forced to pay our province’s staggering, mortgage-level fees.” Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath and NDP Child Care critic Bhutila Karpoche said in a joint statement Monday.
“Doug Ford’s refusal to make parents and young families a priority means that parents are paying $2,000 a month or more in fees,” they said.
High child care prices are not the only barriers for parents.
“Parents who have children with special needs are often very completely shut out of the system because the programs just simply are not funded adequately to be able to provide supports to children and families with special needs,” said Ballantyne.
This child care plan could help ensure that childcare in Ontario is inclusive of all abilities, cultures and socioeconomic statuses, by making sure early childhood educators are properly trained and qualified.
“We have a critical shortage of early childhood educators and the main reason for that is because of the very low compensation that’s paid,” Ballantyne said.