Childcare wait lists long -- and getting longer -- in the Sault
As the promised $10-a-day daycare program is rolled out, there are 1,500 children on a waitlist for childcare in the Sault.
The local YMCA has eight childcare centres, servicing more than 300 families.
CEO Robert Burns said that list is going to rise as more families opt in to the federal government's $10 per day childcare program.
"Waiting lists will definitely grow, there's no questions about it," Burns said.
"I mean, we’re not even at full capacity now, and that’s not because of a lack of demand. It’s simply a lack of ECE’s staffing."
Depending on the time of year, their staffing complement "ranges from 75-95 per cent capacity".
Addressing that issue was at the forefront of a recent decision by the Sault Social Services Board.
Due to the lowering of costs for childcare, the board said fewer would need access to its subsidized childcare fund.
The decision was then made to allocate $280,000 this year, and twice that amount in 2023, to general operations budgets for childcare providers.
Board chair Luke Dufour said the intention is that the money would go towards staff pay increases.
“The logic here is that if you’re enabling your non-profit operators to increase wages, especially for the bottom of their salary band, you’re going to make those jobs more attractive,” Dufour said.
As far as uptake for the $10/day childcare, officials said seven out of 11 not-for-profit childcare centres have opted in, as well as one out of two for-profit daycares.
While additional applications are still being reviewed, the deadline was pushed back until Nov. 1.
As part of the federal program, childcare centre's that opt-in, such as the YMCA, have to lower costs by 25 per cent immediately, and an additional 25 per cent beginning Jan. 1, 2023.
The goal is $10 a day by 2026.
Burns said the first round of reimbursement cheques for parents, retroactive to April 1 are going out in the next few weeks.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment that is banned at Queen’s Park.
CTE: Researchers believe widespread brain injury may contribute to veteran suicide rate
Researchers are working to better understand if some Canadian military veterans may be suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, also known as CTE -- a disorder previously found in the brains of professional football and hockey players after their death.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.