BC finance minister holds pre-budget event at Victoria child care centre

VICTORIA (NEWS 1130) – Instead of showing off a new pair of shoes, BC Finance Minister Carole James read a story to children at a Victoria day care today — symbolizing the major child care investment expected in tomorrow’s provincial budget.

“This really is a program for today,” says James, “It will be a program for British Columbia. It will be a program that fits the needs of parents and businesses and communities today.”

Last week’s throne speech pledged to create more child care spaces and convert unlicensed childcare facilities to regulated ones.

James declined to specify dollar amounts until the budget is officially unveiled. She also did not confirm if her budget will be balanced, other than to say the answer is similar to the theme of “Pete the Cat” — the story she read to 14 children today — where everything works out in the end.

Jennifer Marchbank, a professor of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, says the need for affordable child care spaces in BC has become dire.

“Something like a quarter of the children five and under, according to the Childcare Resource and Research Unit anyway … are able to find a licensed child care space in BC at the moment,” she says.

As well as putting a strain on young families, particularly single parents, Marchbank’s research shows a shortage of child care spaces has economic impacts.

“There is an absolute, definite correlation between availability of reliable, affordable child care provision, and the ability of mothers to return to work or training,” she explains.

$10-a-day child care was a cornerstone of the NDP’s election platform in 2017. Premier John Horgan has since described the first three years as a “ramp-up period” focused on toddler and infant care, creating more spaces, and training more early childhood educators.

BC Green Party leader Andrew Weaver has voiced opposition to the “$10-a-day” plan.

Marchbank notes that even if low-to-middle income families are able to take advantage of low-cost child care, the lack of affordable housing would still keep many parents below the poverty line.

Housing affordability was the other major focus of last week’s throne speech.

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