'MLA: listen to childcare voices'
MetroValley Newspaper Group -- Maple Ridge News
Letters: By Linda Campbell, Mission
27 Jan 2007

Editor, The News:

As many of you many know by now, the provincial government has announced further cuts to childcare in British Columbia, with the elimination of the Childcare Resource and Referral Services.

This is the lifeblood of family and registered non-licensed daycares throughout the province. They provide low cost mandatory training, toy lending libraries, referrals, support, screening of centres, drop-in playgroups to caregivers and parents taking care of our most important resource (next to trees, of course), our children.

As of Sept. 30th, all CCRR programs in B.C. will be eliminated. This is a huge story as it will affect all children, as well as their parents and caregivers in so many ways.

In the last year the government has spent millions investing in these programs, just to throw them away.

In our town, just doing a phone around to gather people for an information meeting, I've had four people tell me that they are closing their centres as a result of this.

All these cuts are being blamed on the cutbacks of the federal government. What they don't tell you is that Ottawa cut back $ 5 million, and B.C. cut back an additional $6 million. This leaves $3 million of last year's CCRR budget.

The present employees have been asked to give suggestions as to how this remaining money can be used to replace them. Victoria is spending millions to payoff the leases of all CCRR buildings, equipment and vehicles.

The caregivers in Mission, along with a letter writing campaign are putting together a paper chain with each link representing each child, parent, caregiver (and their family members) that will be affected by these cutbacks.

We will be laying it out as a visual reminder to our MLA, Randy Hawes, as to what this decision means to just our area alone. This will be happening on Feb. 3rd at 1 p.m. on First Avenue (Lougheed Highway) in Mission.

We need the government to hear our voices.