Motion calls for province to bridge daycare funding until feds deliver
The Daily News -- Kamloops
07 Feb 2007

City council climbed into the playpen Tuesday and called on the province to provide bridge funding until the federal government sorts out its support for daycare.

The move came after 250 daycare providers and parents rallied out front of City Hall at noon to protest cuts to daycare funding.

Mayor Terry Lake said the problem of daycare funding -- andresulting lack of daycare spaces -- isn't just one affecting parents, but also businesses. That's because people looking for work can't fill jobs if they can't find someone to take care of their children, he said.

Lake noted that council passed a motion last June to send a letter to Ottawa asking the federal government to live up to the previous Liberals' child-care agreement.

That hasn't happened, and one of the results of the changes made by the Conservative government is that Kamloops will see the closure of its child-care resource office.

Lake said with the province facing a large surplus, he'd like to see Victoria fill the daycare-funding gap until the federal government gets its programs sorted out.

A motion to send a letter to the appropriate politicians making the request was supported unanimously by council.

Coun. Tina Lange also suggested council also write Ottawa pointing out its daycare policies have resulted in the closure of the YM/YWCA's child-care resource office here.

"This is an essential service we're doing without," she said. "They have dropped the ball."

Coun. Peter Milobar also suggested a letter go to the Kamloops Chamber of Commerce, asking that its members take advantage of tax credits Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has made available to businesses and organizations for new daycare spaces created.

All three motions got unanimous support.