Work permit changes worrying for child-care staff shortages: colleges, Ontario [Video]

New federal rules would prevent international students who graduate from early childhood education programs from applying for a work permit in Canada — a change that the Ontario government, colleges and advocates warn will kneecap the growth of Ottawa’s signature $10-a-day child-care program.

Under immigration changes announced last month, the postgraduate work permits, which were widely available in the past, will now be restricted to areas that have labour-market shortages in Canada.

Ontario is facing a shortage of early childhood educators, or ECEs, that some child-care operators say is preventing them from operating at full capacity right now and could stop them from opening new spaces in the future.

Despite that, the only mention of early childhood education in the federal government’s list of categories in which students will continue to qualify for postgrad work permits is “education/teaching of individuals in early childhood special education programs.”

“This federal policy change …