The South Asian Women’s Rights Organization (SAWRO) called a meeting in Toronto’s East end on June 15th at Oakridge Junior Public School to protest the exclusion of their community schools from Phase 2 of the Early Learning Program.
» Continue reading “SAWRO – East Toronto Women Angry Over Exclusion From Full-Day Child Care”
A planned $63.5 million cut to Ontario’s child care programs would eliminate thousands of jobs and leave 7,600 children from low income families without child care.
The Centre for Spatial Economics crunched the numbers on the impact of the provincial government eliminating $63.5 million that supports child care fee subsidies for single and low-income parents.
The study shows $63.5 million in child care cuts would result in:
• The disappearance of 7,600 subsidized child care spaces for children from low-income families
• The elimination of 1,800 child care jobs and another 1,100 jobs in the related economy
• Another 3,480 jobs vacated as parents are forced to leave work because they have no other child care options;
• Growing welfare rolls as out-of-work parents turn to social assistance.
To read the press release, please click here: Ontario child care cuts hit poor kids, results in 6,400 job losses
To read the report, please click here: Early Learning Impact, Analysis of Subsidy Removal
To read our Submission, please click here: OCBCC Submission to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs
Toronto, Ont. – Child care advocates will make deputations to the Community Development and Recreation Committee on the impact of cuts to child care subsidies.
In 2006, the McGuinty government took a one-time federal payment, spread it over four years and included that funding into Ontario’s core child care budget. Those funds will expire this year.
The City has stated that “should the Province fail to provide additional resources to maintain existing services they would need to cut 5000 subsidies (21%)by January 2012.”
The impact on the child care sector would be catastrophic. » Continue reading “Child Care Advocates: Child Care System Faces Collapse”
They are among some 637,000 children – or almost one in 10 Canadian kids – living in poverty.
That’s down slightly from 11.9 per cent, or 792,000 children who were poor in 1989, says Campaign 2000, a national coalition that has been tracking the lack of progress on the federal promise for years.
In Ontario, child poverty sits at 9.4 per cent – or 257,000 kids – about the same as 20 years ago.
Ontario’s poverty reduction plan aims to cut child poverty by 25 per cent, or 90,000 children, by 2013.
To read full article, please click here.
On September 29, students packed into a room for a forum on child care and poverty.
The forum had three speakers:
Andrea Calver ,
Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care
Sultana Jahangir,
South Asian Women’s Rights Organization Liana Salvador,
Ryerson Students’ Union
» Continue reading “More than 100 Students Attend forum on Child Care and Poverty”
Hugh Drouin, the commissioner of social services for Durham Region, announced the Durham Economic Downturn Task Force will work together to support families in tough economic climate.
Drouin noted, ” Child care, it is important for someone wanting to go back to school or to re-enter the job market.”
The task force suggests other key components like education, child care, family support programs, social housing, income support, child welfare, mental health services for poverty reduction. The task force has applied to the federal government for more funding.
To read the full article, please click here
Carol Goar has a terrific piece on Quebec’s success in reducing poverty by 40% over the past ten years. Ten year’s ago, Quebec launched a universal and affordable child care system.
Today in Ontario, parents will pay between $40 and $60 per day for child care.
In Quebec, parents will pay $7 a day.
With more parents able to work, poverty rates have gone down. Wouldn’t that be great to see in Ontario!
To read the full article, please click here.
From the Niagara Tribune local news, To read the full story please Click Here
Ontario is the child poverty centre of Canada,” Clutterbuck said, adding the government has done little to reduce its child poverty rates over the years.
“We’re a wealthy province. We can’t afford to abandon our children to poverty.”
He said the statistics are embarrassing, with Quebec able to lower its child poverty rates by 150,000 youths in five years, and Ontario by only 5,000.
With 1.3 million Ontarians living in poverty, Clutterbuck said reports show those on social assistance have a higher risk of dealing with serious medical conditions, emotional and mental health problems, and are 10 times more likely to attempt suicide.
He asked people to compare the cost of living in their community, with a cheque given to a single adult on Ontario Works to see how far they could get with the $572 a month.
Yesterday’s Toronto Star had a significant piece on why the Poverty Reduction Strategy must move ahead, even in economic hard times. Not only will child care, housing, increased child benefit and other provincial measures reduce poverty but they will help sustain local economies and provide needed services and infrastructure for communities.
From the opinion piece ” .. urge the Ontario government to make the most of this moment by investing in social infrastructure to build affordable housing and child-care spaces. …”. To read the full article, please click here.
From Child Care Watch, Winter 2009
Ontario’s commitment to poverty reduction could be an important step forward for child care. Minister Deb Matthews has said that child care was one of the first issues she heard about in the province-wide poverty reduction consulations. However, the Province’s poverty reduction plan, release just before the holidays, was disappointing from a child care perspective. To read a copy of the OCBCC press release, please click here.
