BY: MATIAS DE DOVITIIS
Doug Ford's Conservatives have commercials out saying that "We are the party saying yes"
While that may be true for big capital projects that help the development industry, it has not been the case with the education file. Ontario is last in working out a deal to develop a more affordable child care system with the Federal government.
For Toronto parent's this is not welcomed news, a fast "yes" could have been helpful to them. Toronto has the most expensive childcare in the country already. The gap is about to grow significantly without quick action.
Parents in Montreal, a Province that has developed a $10/day childcare system years ago, pay about $179/month on average per child, while parents in Toronto pay $1,774. If you are doing the math, that could add up to over $20,000/year for the parents in Toronto. That is the price of renting a one-bedroom apartment per child in the area. It is very expensive and beyond what many people can afford. Even then, the list for spaces is well beyond capacity. This prevents parents from working and studying and increases child poverty as a result.
The Federal government has now signed agreements to develop a $10/day childcare program with B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces. These have governments of different affiliations, but they all signed. This is good news on a promise the Liberals have been making since at least 1993 in Ottawa and even if entire generations were left behind, at least now on a move forward basis we are looking at a better outcome in the rest of Canada. It was about time and this program will help an entire generation to do better in life.
The Downsview Advocate spoke to Constance Boakye, who lives in the area and has two children ages 3 and 7. She works and supports them on her own and relies on childcare services to take care of her youngest. She is lucky and applied early on while she was still pregnant to receive a subsidized space. The waitlist for these spaces is immense and would be even bigger if the income threshold was higher. Asked if she could afford to pay the regular rates, she says “It’s always on your mind, affordability. Some people can’t afford to have children. One pay cheque goes to childcare without a subsidy and that’s ridiculous. As I said, people my age are thinking about not having kids, because they can’t afford it.”
To some people, not aware of the price of being a young person, paying for rent that can be over $2000 for a two-bedroom, the idea that affordable childcare is a necessity may seem clashing. When asked if childcare is a luxury, Constance bursts, “Oh definitely not, I can’t do without it. You don’t have the social support that you do in other places, where you can leave your child with relatives that live beside you. I wouldn’t be able to work if I didn’t have childcare. It’s challenging. You don’t have options.”
Ford's government says that other Provinces were getting better deals, but ultimately he will have to sign something. The process to get to $10/day will take years. Ontario needs to train and hire thousands of Early Childhood Educators, bring up pay to attract more workers and build more physical spaces to accommodate the demand. This will all take time, and waiting another 2-4 years is a long time for a young family. Their toddlers will have grown up if we wait years for a better deal that may or may not exist out there.