New North Bay childcare centre to open at former school

A new childcare centre is opening in North Bay at the side of an old school on Chapais Street in an effort to address the district's long waitlist for spots.

Through a partnership between Canadore College and the Lindsay Weld Centre for Children, the old E.T. Carmichael School was bought by the college for $650,000 after the Near North District School Board declared it redundant.

Former North Bay school to be turned into childcare hub. June 26, 2024 (Eric Taschner/CTV Northern Ontario)

"They (the college) have similar interests and they want to move in this direction," said Shane Mercer, executive director of the Lindsay Weld Centre For Children.

"The slogan says, 'Great things Happen Here.' We feel that way, too."

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The college purchased the former school to create a hub for programming where infants and children would interact with seniors.

"This project is a first step towards that vision," said Canadore president and CEO George Burton.

The centre will either be a full-on expansion or a relocation of existing childcare centres that are currently under Lindsay Weld.

Programming will include intergenerational activities, teaching and learning. Childcare for ages 0-12 will be available.

Mock up of the new childcare centre in North Bay at the site of a former school. (Canadore College)

"We wouldn't be able to do this without the ECE (early childhood educator) students at Canadore and they have ECE students up there and we’ll be working with them on placement opportunities," Mercer said.

Mercer and his team have heard from frustrated parents every week about the long waitlist in the District of Nipissing.

The local social services board said there are more than 1,500 names on the list.

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"There certainly have been areas that have been called 'deserts' where there’s a gap," said social services board CAO Melanie Shaye.

"Our team is trying extremely hard to try and fill those gaps with recruitment and retention of qualified ECEs."

The board said ongoing talks with the province will better highlight the need.

"Our needs are unique and we want to work with them to find solutions for families and children," Shaye said.

She added, the board is pleased to see the opening of the new childcare centre, which will help close the gap for several families.

Mercer said the new space will create 187 new licensed childcare spaces.

Mock up of the new Lindsay Weld Centre for Children in North Bay. (Supplied)

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The first phase will stick with the centre's normal operating hours of Monday to Friday, 7 a.m.-6 p.m.

"We have had loose conversations about looking at extending those hours and seeing what we could do to help. Nothing's set yet, but it is something that we're keeping in mind as we get ready to move into this phase," Mercer said.

"We hear from families that are expecting newborns and others that go all the way up to school age that the need is there. They ask us ‘Where can we go?’ and ‘What can we do?’ So we try to help them navigate the system."

It’s expected the new centre will open within the next four to 12 months.