Child-care centres are popping up all over Edmonton. But not everyone is in favour

Jesmeen Gill · CBC News

· Posted: Jul 03, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

When Wanda Johnston archetypal learned that a location successful her quiescent Canossa neighbourhood successful northbound Edmonton would beryllium converted into a child-care centre, she was upset.

The approved licence allows for a installation serving up to 34 children wrong a 1,486-square-foot home. But Johnston worries astir the other postulation successful a assemblage she says is already strained for space.

"We're a quiescent neighbourhood, you've got 26 houses, 13 connected each street. Parking is already an issue," Johnston said successful an interview.

"You can't person 40-plus vehicles positive eight staff trying to find parking, you conscionable can't."

Johnston filed an entreaty against the development, citing large concerns implicit traffic, noise, discarded disposal, and parking congestion. That entreaty was denied past period by the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board.

CBC reached retired to the proprietor of the projected daycare tract but helium declined to comment.

Zoning bylaw renewal

The fig of child-care centres approved for residential neighbourhoods successful Edmonton has sharply risen successful 2024, owed successful ample portion to the city's zoning bylaw renewal, which came into effect successful January 2024.

Under the caller bylaw, child-care services are present permitted usage successful astir modular zones — including small-scale residential areas. That marks a large displacement from the erstwhile bylaw, which treated specified developments arsenic discretionary, taxable to longer reappraisal times and much accidental for nonmigratory objections.

In 2024, the metropolis approved 26 child-care centres successful residential buildings successful small-scale residential zones. The metropolis said successful total, 204 improvement permits were approved for child-care services past year, which is astir treble the fig approved successful each of the erstwhile 5 years

'We request much spaces'

Coun. Michael Janz, who chairs the city's municipality readying committee, said expanding neighbourhood-based kid attraction is indispensable to conscionable demand.

"We've been abbreviated child-care spaces," Janz said successful an interrogation past week. "Some families person been having to spell extracurricular of their neighbourhood to find kid care." 

Janz supports smaller, locally rooted options arsenic opposed to monolithic "mega-centres."

"Eventually, what I anticipation we get towards is little of the large mega child-care centres, and much tiny neighbourhood-based opportunities truthful that wherever you are successful Edmonton, wherever your household is, determination tin beryllium a child-care enactment that's accessible and affordable and adjacent to you," helium said successful an interview.

Krystal Churcher is the co-chair of ACE National — a question that promotes and advocates for affordable and accessible kid care. She said the state has a large request for much child-care spaces. 

"Alberta has seen important growth," she said successful an interrogation past month. "I judge that determination are families desperately needing kid care."

Parking, noise, and waste: a growing debate

Johnston's concerns spell beyond parking and traffic. According to a proposed site plan, discarded bins for the child-care centre may beryllium located on the broadside of the property, close by her walkway to her backyard.

She besides worries astir sound from outdoor play disrupting neighbours, particularly those who enactment from location oregon bash displacement work. 

Erin Rutherford, metropolis councillor for the Ward Anirniq, which includes the Canossa neighbourhood, said the spot follows the guidelines needed to make the centre.

"That 1 was circumstantial to what was allowed successful our zoning bylaw and what we person done is we said that those child-care centres erstwhile they're successful residential areas are truly constricted successful size truthful that is wherever the mitigation origin has travel in," she said.

The metropolis commissioned a postulation study, conducted arsenic portion of a one-year reappraisal of kid attraction services.

It recovered that "less than fractional of pick-up and drop-off spaces were utilized during highest periods", and that "17 per cent of trips to and from centres were made by walking oregon cycling".

Still, the study noted that country tons are the astir suitable for time homes owed to postulation flow.

Limited options for appeals

Under the caller bylaw, galore child-care centres that conscionable zoning regulations are considered permitted use, leaving residents with less avenues to formally reason them.

Once Johnston had filed her appeal, she typed up a newsletter and went door-to-door to residents successful her neighbourhood, encouraging them to entreaty oregon taxable their comments.

"There's not 1 idiosyncratic I spoke to that was successful favour of this kid care, simply the parking, the noise, the waste, it's conscionable excessively big."

Johnston said Edmontonians need to person their voices heard connected these types of developments.

"To accidental successful that [zoning] renewal that they privation to springiness Edmontonians what they want, however tin you springiness Edmontonians what they privation if you're present having each these permitted uses which takes distant the dependable of Edmontonians, truthful however bash you cognize what they want?"