Ontario parents with young children are one step closer to accessing affordable high quality child care with the provincial government’s recent pledge to take both immediate and longer term action to create a universal accessible child care system.
“Our union working hand in hand with a broad-based group of parents and child care advocates seized the political moment in this province to win an important commitment from government to expand the availability of child care while making sure it becomes affordable and of higher quality.” said Sharon De Sousa, Ontario Regional Executive Vice-President for the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
PSAC and child care advocates welcomed the Ontario government’s promise to limit the growth of child care services to the not-for-profit sector, and to build the capacity of non-profit agencies to meet a greater diversity of parent needs, including those of parents who work non-standard hours.
“The government’s child care action plan sets the stage for significant change to the patchwork approach to child care that now exists in our province but it is no sure thing that real transformation will materialize,” said Greg McGillis, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for Canada’s National Capital Region, which includes member who work in the Ottawa area. “That’s why we have to continue forward with our campaign for universal child care and I urge all PSAC members to sign up as supporters at www.childcareforall.ca and take action when called upon to do so.”