Deadline for child-care operators to opt in to $10-a-day extended
The province has extended the deadline for childcare operators to opt into the life-changing $10-a-day program.
"The extension, it is a good thing that parents can tap into it," said mom and childcare advocate Kim Gilbert.
She's glad to see more parents will be able to gain access to care for their children.
"It's good they extended the deadline a little bit for those that haven't accessed childcare centres to save a spot for their child,” Gilbert said.
And it gives operators more time to weigh the pros and cons of joining the program.
The City of Windsor was unable to confirm the number of operators that have decided to opt into the program.
CTV News spoke to one local operator that is on the fence, while in other regions many providers have made the decision
In Toronto, 587 of the 1,042 licensed child-care centres have applied to opt in while 32 have opted out.
"We're opting in," said Penny Bowser, supervisor at Olivia DiMaio Day Care Centres. "We think it's a great opportunity for our parents. We think it'll bring a sense of community to the childcare sector as a whole. It brings more equality to everybody."
Parents like Ruth Barkou-King feel the program will help immensely and anxiously wait to see it become tangible.
"We want to grow our family so when we have to pay for more of our children to go to childcare it will really help with our financial situation in general,” Barkou-King said.
Earlier this year, the feds announced a five-year deal to reduce child care fees.
While some are glad to see the deadline pushed back, others are stuck in a waiting game to see if their child care provider will sign up.
"Unfortunately that money hasn't flowed from the government to the municipalities and then to the operators," said Gilbert.
Bowser added, "We're listening to what the government is telling us so yes do I have faith that it's coming. Yep, I do."
The government also promised to create 86,000 new licensed early learning and child care spaces in the province.
If we don't address those concerns about recruitment and retention it's gonna be very hard to create more spots," said Gilbert. "Because there's not going to be the staff there to run a decent quality program.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.