Liberals promise to end long daycare wait lists

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This article was published 30/08/2023 (738 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont is promising to move faster to end lengthy child-care wait lists if his party forms government after the upcoming provincial election.

Lamont said Wednesday the Liberals would boost infrastructure funding to non-profit organizations and hike wages for early childhood educators.

The St. Boniface MLA said the province would cover all project expenses for non-profits to purchase and retrofit buildings for new daycare spots.

Lamont made the announcement at the YMCA-YWCA South branch on Fermor Avenue.

Under the Early Learning and Child Care Building Fund, organizations such as the YMCA must cover 40 per cent of the cost to build new childcare spaces.

“As a father of four, I remember the struggle my wife and I felt trying to place our kids in daycare, and what a relief it was when we knew we had a program we could count on,” Lamont said in a release.

“We’re committed to break down the barriers to access for families and parents, one by one, to make $10 a day child care a reality across Manitoba.”

Lamont said the party would adopt the recommendations of the Manitoba Childcare Association to increase wages and benefits for early childhood educators.

The Liberals also pledged to create one online portal for families to register for child-care spaces; add child-care spaces near hospitals, clinics and schools; expand training programs to ensure French-language spaces are available; and make $10-a-day child care available for all school-aged children.

“Getting $10-a-day child care done, and done right, is a top priority for Manitoba Liberals,” Lamont said. “For many Manitoban families — especially in today’s tough economy — whether you have child care or not makes the difference as to whether you can work and pay your bills.”

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

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In July, the federal and provincial governments announced $132 million from Canada’s Early Learning and Child Care Agreement would be spent to add 2,400 spaces at 36 public schools for children under the age of seven, and $45 million to add 680 spots at six post-secondary institutions.

The province kicked in $3.4 million to create 60 spots at the Université de Saint-Boniface and provide capital for expansion projects for 555 spaces across 24 public schools for kids ages seven to 12.

The province has set a goal of opening 23,000 new spaces by 2026 through its agreement with Ottawa.

The Manitoba NDP has also pledged to make changes to child care by extending $10-a-day spaces to school-aged kids during the summer months, holidays and days off.

According to the Progressive Conservatives, the provincial government had added 3,875 new child-care spaces and committed to 7,700 more as of July.