Fraser Valley residents protest directed at MLA Randy Hawes
Maple Ridge-Pitt Meadows Times
February 6, 2007

Fraser Valley residents lined First Avenue in Mission, Saturday afternoon, to protest the changes in child-care funding that has resulted in the impending closure of Maple Ridge's Child Care Resources and Referral program.

The group held onto a long line of connected, coloured paper and each link had a different name written on it in a message for the public and directed at Maple Ridge-Mission MLA Randy Hawes. A similar protest was scheduled for Tuesday morning in Maple Ridge.

"They are the names of the children, parents, caregivers, anyone one who is going to be affected by the closure of the Child Care Resources and Referral program," said Ruth Kimber, owner of Ruthie's Daycare Centre.

The CCRR helps parents find daycare, provides a toy lending library, puts on workshops for care providers and helps parents fill out their child-care subsidy forms, along with many other services....

"It's a lot of money to start doing a family daycare. There are a lot of government regulations...even just in getting their facilities and homes up to code. CCRR has been in operation for 30 years and why after 30 years are we cutting it ....

Parents will be just as affected as the caregivers, said Kimber. While the salary needed to get a subsidy is going to stay the same, she said the amount given to families will be less.

"The daycares can't drop their fees because we are already losing money from the government and the parents are going to be requested to pay more money for their childcare."

Sandra Hilborn, owner of Sunshine Enrichment Centre, said the cuts come just as things were improving.

"It never seems to go forward, when it is getting good they take it away. It's going to be at least a couple thousand that it's going to cost us and we've already laid off staff -- we can't afford it anymore."