Surrey, Penticton and several communities on Vancouver Island are among the main beneficiaries of 770 new $10-per-day childcare spaces announced Monday. Ottawa and Victoria also announced $62 million for more than new 750 licensed child-care spaces across B.C.
B.C. Education and Child Care Minister Lisa Beare announced the spaces in Surrey, which will see 104 existing spots spread three across three organizations convert to $10-per-day, with 72 spots coming to the Fraser Heights Recreation Centre. Another 20 spots are going to the Al-Mustafa Junior Kindergarten and 12 spots are going to the Communication Stars Specialized Childcare.
Penticton's Onesky Community Resources Society will receive funding for 112 spots for a child-care centre on Edmonton Avenue, while Parksville's Child and Family Centre will see 111 spots converted. Ucluelet Children's Centre will see 80 spaces convert, with 18 spots converting in nearby Tofino.
Other notable conversions will take place at Vernon's Okanagan Boys and Girls Clubs, with 36 spots and Maranatha Minis Daycare in Williams Lake with 49 spots. Smaller communities like Black Creek will get 24, Sorrento will get 20, Cawston will get 16 and Christina Lake, Peachland and Charlie Lake will get eight each. The conversion to $10-per-day childcare is set to happen in March and April.
Beare said the government chose communities based on need and high growth.
"We are focusing on communities that don't yet have $10-a-day," she said. "This is just one of many announcements we are going to have over this next year."
Beare said government has so far created 16,000 spots for $10-per-day since coming to power in 2017.
"Today, we are on track to meet our goals by next spring next year of 20,000 spaces of $10-a-day," she said.
Beare also pointed to the additional $62 million for 750 new childcare spots.
"These are primarily in rural, remote, Indigenous areas," she said. "We are investing in child care all across the province, because we know important it is for families...and how important it is for kids to be in safe, reliable care."
Among the new spaces, Creston leads all communities with 110 followed by Skeetchestn First Nation, near Savona, with 81 spaces, Qualicum with 75 and Langford with 73. Other notable additions are 48 spaces at Hope's Chawathil Child Care Centre and 44 spaces at Dawson Creek's Nawican Friendship Centre.
