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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.