Nearly $11M earmarked for child-care spaces in Nunavut
Funding announced Wednesday part of federal government’s $625M commitment to childcare infrastructure nationally
The $10.9-million infunding announced by the federal government Wednesday will go toward the goal to create 238 new child care spaces in the territory by 2026. (File photo)
The federal government is committing $10.9 million to open more child-care spaces in Nunavut over the next four years.
In an announcement Wednesday, it said $7.9 million of the funding will be spent in 2025-2026 to open more inclusive child-care spaces to help Nunavut meet the goal of 238 new spaces by 2026.
Federal Families, Children and Social Development of Canada Minister Jenna Sudds said Nunavut’s move to $10-a-day daycare, plus this announced spending on child care infrastructure, will help families financially and with accessibility.
“I’ve had the opportunity to speak to families about it and on average, they’re saving over $14,000 a year in child care expenses,” Sudds said in an interview Wednesday.
“We want to see more families benefit, and we think today’s commitment and announcement will help speed that up.”
The plan, announced in a news release by Employment and Social Development Canada, is part of the larger national $625-million commitment through the Early Learning and Child Care Infrastructure Fund.
The federal and Nunavut governments are working together to get 238 new child care spaces opened by 2026.
“As of May 6, 2024, a total of 159 new licensed child-care spaces have been created across Nunavut,” Matthew Illaszewicz, a Department of Education spokesperson, said in an email.
“The spaces were created through increasing the number of spaces at three existing centres, the opening of four new licensed child care centres and the licensing of four new family home daycares.”
Illaszewicz said all licensed child care spaces for children in Nunavut who have not entered full-time school cost $10 a day.
Sudds said the spending plan will help meet needs in smaller communities, where there isn’t necessarily a demand for a large child-care centre.
“This can also support family day homes, who need support in some way in order to be compliant to be able to operate from their home,” she said.
“We’ve seen success across Canada, frankly, in some of the smaller communities where the family day homes provide an important service.”
Anyone with kids knows this is a joke. Impossible to staff daycare centers. Need to hire actual qualified staff to run daycares not random people who get drunk every pay day. Some daycares have been closed for months. When that happens any workers with kids are stuck at home. Time for GN to take over daycares and hire actual qualified people.
So are you saying GN has to hire trained Southerners so they can be abused for taking local jobs. Solution if you want to solve problems simply get up and get at it. Locals always preach sense of community, helping sharing, caring. That also means if you have a job which serves the community; DO IT.
Yeah but when has that ever worked?
Sorry, 867, the GN has proven itself to be incapable of hiring people. About 1/3 of all GN positions are vacant. The GN cannot even hire people to do hiring. Many, perhaps most, jobs in the Human Resources department are being done, if at all, remotely, by people in southern Canada.
Back in 2022 the GN set the target of 238 new child care spaces opened by 2026.
Joke #1 is that most of those spaces were already planned as part of scheduled construction of new schools.
Joke #2 is that almost 1000 babies are being born each year. So, in 2022, the GN announced its intention of creating 238 new spaces for the almost 4000 child who would be born between then and 2026. That’s 1 space for every 17 additional children.
Joke #3 is, the $10 daycare price is going, not to people who could not afford $100 / day daycare. It is going to the families that were paying $100 / day. So the rich get richer and the poor wait for the day care lottery for the 1 in 17 spaces.
Joke #4 is, it won’t be a lottery. I leave it up to you to figure out who will get those additional 238 child care spaces. Hint: some people are about to get $500,000 “home ownership” subsidies. Will you be one of them?
“some people are about to get $500,000 “home ownership” subsidies” What is this you say?
The GN needs to open some daycares to help GN staff with proper trained employees and apprentices. That would help open up a lot more free spaces for non-GN employed parents.
My daughter is employed at a daycare and has not been paid for a month now because of no Director. Please start training who wants to be directors for day cares in Nunavut first before getting all excited for this helpful money!
Your daughter’s daycare has a board of directors. The board of directors has a treasurer, or it can designate one of its members as treasurer. The treasurer can pay your daughter and the others working at the daycare. If the daycare’s board of directors is not functioning, contact the GN Department of Family Services. They can take over the day care if the board of directors does not do its job. If you don’t know how to contact Family Services, or if Family Services does not act, contact your MLA or the Government Liason Officer in your community. See http://www.gov.nu.ca
Something needs to be done. Babies and toddlers are most vulnerable who need trained and kind daycare workers. I don’t get why people get upset if these jobs aren’t being taken by locals so others get hired then get mad why aren’t they following article 23. I think most go for government work that comes with housing so you can’t get mad if other jobseekers get hired. Isn’t it better that they’re filled and providing a service to the community?
I’m sure if people really want jobs they’ll go for it and be reliable.
Dystopia as in chaos is flowing out of Ottawa. Under Trudeau Jr and he and his global thought police confidants want to rule the world. You, me, the kids well being is window dressing in their schemes.