In Ontario, costs have gone down to $22 a day for daycares that are covered by the Canada-wide federal child care program. While that makes it more affordable for more families, the city says demand for care for kids under the age of 5 has quadrupled.
As the cost of child care in Ontario has fallen to a maximum of $22 a day for children under the age of six, demand in Ottawa has soared, according to the city.
The city is responsible for managing the child-care system locally and says licenced providers are only meeting about three-quarters of the need.
Since the Canada-wide program started rolling out in Ontario in 2022, the shortage of affordable spots has become especially acute for Francophones and infants under 18 months, as well as at Indigenous-led centres, a new city report says.
Overall, the number of children five years and younger who are on the city’s registry and waiting for a spot within the next six months …