London, Ont. ranks among worst Canadian cities for licensed childcare coverage: report
London, Ont. is a “childcare desert.”
“Three or more children are competing for the same space,” says Morna Ballantyne, executive director of Child Care Now (formerly Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada), Canada's national child care advocacy .
A new report, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) shows London in the bottom-quarter of major cities in the country when it comes to childcare coverage.
"What's shocking is that the situation has not improved that much over the last 20 years,” adds Ballantyne.
The study lists all Canadian cities with more than 6,500 children who are not yet in kindergarten, and all provincial/territorial capital cities.
While cities like Montreal have 72 per cent of children covered, in London, only three of out of ten children are able to get a licensed childcare spot. It has forcing parents to make tough decisions.
"They either withdraw from the paid labor force in order to be able to look after their children, or place their children in unlicensed unregulated child care — which is, you know, shown to be of much less quality,” says Ballantyne.
She adds there is, “all kinds of risks involved when you place your child in unregulated child care.”
In recent years, there has been a huge drop in fees, but Ballantyne says it's not a widespread solution.
"There are many families that don't have access to licensed child care and therefore can't actually benefit at this stage from the greatly reduced fees,” she says.
So how do you water this desert? Ballantyne recognizes there's not enough money coming from higher levels of government, but she'd like to see the municipality step up to find solutions.
“Look within the city where there are possible locations for licenced child care centers and do whatever it can to support the creation the establishment of centers,” says Ballantyne.
She’d like the city to figure out strategies to improve the working conditions and compensation for staff.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Quebec judge orders bus driver to stand trial for 2023 daycare crash deaths
A judge has ordered a Quebec man to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the deaths of two children killed when a bus rammed into a Montreal-area daycare last year.
Trudeau's latest pre-budget pledge targets millennial moms, vowing $1B in loans for more child-care spaces
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts coming to McDonald's in U.S., but not Canada
Canadians will be missing out on a sweet new partnership between McDonald's and Krispy Kreme, which will see doughnuts available at McDonald's locations across the U.S. by the end of 2026.
BREAKING Calgary officer charged after allegedly assaulting handcuffed man
A Calgary police officer has been charged after allegedly assaulting a handcuffed man two years ago.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
How do you navigate the social media minefield with your kids?
Growing fears about social media's harm have sparked lawsuits against social media companies from hundreds of school districts in the United States and now Canada. CTVNews.ca wants to know whether your children are addicted to social media or if you have concerns about their usage of platforms such as Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and X.