Feds’ plan for $10-a-day childcare by 2026 ‘huge’ for Canada, says advocate

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – A B.C. childcare advocate says she is confident $10-a-day care will finally happen, after Ottawa announced billions for a national childcare program.

The federal budget includes $30 billion to establish the program, with the goal of having fees down to $10 a day by 2026.

Sharon Gregson has spent three decades advocating for this in B.C. and says since John Horgan was re-elected as premier on the same promise, she thinks it may finally become a reality.

“This federal funding means they can confidently move ahead with those ambitious investments to expand $10-a-day [childcare] to more families, make school-aged childcare universal,” she said.

She says it’s a “huge development for our country,” but her mission has not yet been accomplished.

“There’s always a way that politics can get in the way of progress. We have to make sure that we hold this federal government, this provincial government, and subsequent governments responsible and accountable,” she said.

Gregson, who works with the Coalition of Childcare Advocates of B.C. says our province is in a good position to move forward.

“We already have a plan. We already have a roadmap. We’re further ahead than many other provinces,” she said.

The Liberals plan to see a 50 per cent reduction in average fees for regulated early learning and childcare by the end of 2022, and then get costs down to $10 a day by 2025-2026.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar