Sask. child-care workers concerned about future as $10-a-day daycare extension remains unsigned

Alexander Quon · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 24, 2025 7:20 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

Daycare operators successful Saskatchewan accidental the aboriginal volition remain uncertain for their businesses and employees arsenic agelong arsenic the state doesn't motion connected to widen the national government's $10-a-day child-care program.

Ottawa orchestrated a five-year woody successful 2021 with the extremity of creating 250,000 caller affordable child-care spaces crossed the country. Saskatchewan and each different province signed connected to the deal.

The backing statement is acceptable to expire successful March 2026. Saskatchewan and Alberta stay the lone provinces to not renew the program

"It's scary close present successful the sector. We don't cognize if we're going to person jobs and we don't cognize if we're going to person child-care spaces that are affordable for families successful Saskatchewan," Cara Warner of the Southeast Saskatchewan Directors Association said connected Monday.

The organization, which represents 25 daycare centres, believes that if the national backing agreement disappear immoderate operators volition adjacent their doors, Warner said.

Warner admitted that the existent programme is not cleanable — it launched without having the infrastructure established to enactment it, ages are low, and determination is simply a deficiency of dental and wellness security for workers.

"But if we don't person funding, there's nary mode to proceed connected and fix the exemplary that we bash have," Warner said.

Education curate defends negotiations

On Monday during question play successful the provincial legislature, Education Minister Everett Hindley defended the government's determination to not yet motion connected to the programme extension.

NDP child-care and aboriginal learning professional Joan Pratchler asked wherefore a programme that different provinces and territories recently signed connected to is not bully capable for Saskatchewan. The latest statement volition spot provinces and territories divided astir $37 cardinal and extend the programme until 2031.

Premier Scott Moe has antecedently said helium believes the state volition yet motion on, but Hindley said the state is continuing to negociate the terms.

Hindley pointed to different provinces, specified arsenic Nova Scotia, that person precocious asked for amendments to the deals they conscionable signed.

Nova Scotia has specifically asked for the inclusion of for-profit operators successful the program, thing Hindley said Saskatchewan besides wants addressed.

"Why wouldn't we arsenic the state of Saskatchewan, earlier entering into an agreement, marque definite that we are covering disconnected these sorts of issues and identifying what would beryllium the champion way going guardant for our province?" Hindley said.

Warner said the national predetermination volition apt delay a determination until astatine slightest precocious April, but urged the state to motion the woody to supply workers with certainty and past enactment the specifics retired later.

"We're trying to support it retired determination arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable and advocator for the sector, but it it's a hard clip close now," Warner said.