'Early Christmas gift': Parents, child care groups relieved by Alberta, Ottawa child care deal
It's some long-awaited and much-needed news for families and parents in Alberta. A deal between the federal government and province will see $10-a-day child care in five years and some savings even sooner.
"I'm so excited. It's almost like an early, early Christmas gift," said Susan Cake, an Alberta parent and the chair of Child Care Now Alberta.
That gift was delivered Monday morning with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Alberta Premier Jason Kenney making the announcement together in Edmonton.
With a deal reached, Alberta has pledged to reach $10-a-day child care by 2025-26 and fees will be reduced by 50 per cent for early learning starting next year.
More than 42,000 spaces will be added across the province over the next five years and Ottawa will contribute about $3.8 billion over that time to fund the program.
"This is good news for parents and families, especially as Alberta's economy continues to recover," Kenney said Monday.
"This deal not only helps help many Alberta parents get back to work, it creates opportunities for passionate entrepreneurs to start a business."
"I'm so excited. It's almost like an early, early Christmas gift," said Susan Cake, an Alberta parent and the chair of Child Care Now Alberta.
(Susan Cake, an Alberta parent and the chair of Child Care Now Alberta.)
Alberta was one of the last provinces to sign onto the federal government's affordable child care plan.
"This is big news for families and it's a yet another example of how governments work together to deliver in real tangible ways for people," Trudeau said.
The average cost of child care in Calgary and Edmonton is about $1,200 per month for a child, but the province says this deal will bring average costs down to about $285/month.
"Obviously communities benefit from that. Local businesses benefit from it, the economy -- It really echoes throughout so many different fields that it's going to benefit... it's basically a giant win for everyone in Alberta," Cake said.
Those high costs have been detrimental to families, especially women who want to work, but can't afford to because it doesn't make sense financially, advocates say.
Unaffordable child care has been a barrier for years, explains Calgary mother Roshni McCartney.
"How am I going to afford to keep a roof over our heads and payl for child care and go to work? So the fact that we now could potentially have access to that, other parents will have access to that, is amazing," McCartney said.
Details of the deal are still being finalized, but the province says $10-a-day child care will eventually be available to Alberta families who make less than $120,000 annually. Parents with high annual income will pay between $11 to $22.19 per day in five years.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.