Future Timmins child care centre gets $4 million boost from province
People in Timmins' South Porcupine neighbourhood are one step closer to getting a new child care facility.
The Northeast District Catholic School Board is receiving $4.3 million from the Ministry of Education to add a child care centre to St. Joseph School in the city's east end.
The board's education director said the goal is to address long-standing demand in the area.
"We understand that spaces are full already in the existing programs available in the area," said Tricia Weltz. "This will provide families with an additional opportunity for childcare services."
The new funding is in addition to around $2 million in provincial startup funding received in 2018, before the pandemic delayed the project.
The facility will include 49 new spaces, with three rooms for different age groups.
It is a collaborative initiative between the school board and Cochrane District Social Services Administration Board, which manages childcare in the district.
Director of children's services Shannon Costello said it's is an exciting step toward filling a capacity gap in the city.
"There will be an infant room, a toddler room and a pre-school room," Costello said. "All three rooms will be built to a full-capacity ratio for three staff."
The vision is for the centre to be state-of-the-art, with the added benefit of being attached to an elementary school, giving children a smoother transition into academic life.
Talks about construction are still underway, Weltz said, as are discussions around an opening date.
Costello said this will certainly help with the large demand for child care in the city, but that more still needs to be done.
She said the federal government's proposed national child care system that would have services cost just $10 a day would certainly see demand surge, and so the city needs to be ready.
"We do definitely need to start looking at where we could be expanding across the city and the district."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
U.S. says Israel's use of U.S. arms likely violated international law, but evidence is incomplete
The Biden administration said Israel's use of U.S.-provided weapons in Gaza likely violated international humanitarian law but wartime conditions prevented U.S. officials from determining that for certain in specific airstrikes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Mother assaulted by stranger while breastfeeding baby in her car: Vancouver police
A person was arrested in East Vancouver Thursday after allegedly entering a car while a mother was breastfeeding her four-month-old boy.
'We have laws': Premier Smith says police action justified in Calgary
The actions, including the decision to use non-lethal force, to disperse pro-Palestinian protesters from the University of Calgary campus were justified, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said Friday.
'State or state-sponsored actor' believed to be behind B.C. government hacks
The head of British Columbia’s civil service has revealed that a “state or state-sponsored actor” is behind multiple cyber-security incidents against provincial government networks.