Fort St. John child care referral centre facing likely closure
Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune
12 Jan 2007
EXCERPT

Child care resource and referral centres have been warned their funding will be chopped to $3 million from $14 million this year, which will likely mean the closure of the Fort St. John office.

The cut is being blamed on the federal Conservative government's decision to eliminate the previous Liberal government's Early Learning and Child Care Agreement with the province....

"They provide a lot of services," said Success by Six co-ordinator Lynn Locher.

"If you eliminate them, who's going to provide those services?"

Locher called the cuts a step backwards, considering there is demand for such services and how much headway has been made to improve it.

Program co-ordinator Heather McBryan said she could not confirm if the local office will be closed, but said it's likely as it depends on the province for funding.

"Basically by Sept. 30 we'll cease to exist," McBryan said.

Two full-time workers work out of the Fort St. John along with a half-time outreach worker who is shared with Dawson Creek.

B.C. Child Care Minister Linda Reid blamed the federal government for the cut and said the province does not have the money to make up for the shortfall.

"We haven't reneged, we are the messenger," Reid said....