FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. (CP) -- The .. Child Care Centre is shutting down, adding to an already-critical shortage of day care spaces here.

Owner … said a year-long search for a suitable space turned up empty, and with the two-year lease set to expire on Aug. 31, she was forced to give notice to more than 50 clients.

An eviction notice was served on the July 7-8 weekend at the centre's current home in a church, which she attributed in part to tensions with the owner. …

Five employees will also be out of a job.

The closure forces a number of families back in the hunt for day care in a city where wait lists are already backed up. …. alone had 30 families waiting for a spot.

Angela Nielsen said she's not confident that with just over a month left, she'll be able to find day care spots for her two children.

''People that want to work but have kids have nowhere to go (for child care),'' she said. ''I have to work, and I can't just leave my kids at home.''

While private child-care facilities remain an option, Nielsen added she's not willing to go down that road, saying they are ''unreliable compared to a licensed facility.''

Gord Weeber, who was picking up his two children …. on Tuesday, said he wasn't sure what his family would do.

''If we don't find anything, either my wife or I will probably have to stay home in the fall with the kids,'' he said.

Mayor Jim Eglinski wasn't surprised when he learned the day care was having trouble finding a new home.

Licensing states that a daycare of Lollipop's size requires 325 square metres of usable space, five bathrooms and a fenced playground in the immediate vicinity.

''It's a needed facility, and it's not a good thing to see it close ... but there aren't that many buildings available around that size,'' Eglinski said.

The city doesn't have any available buildings at the moment, and high rent makes commercial spaces less of an option for day cares, which turn a marginal profit, he said.

Through the help of local realtors, … said she did find at least one suitable location, but at $7,500 per month, not including utilities, the price was too steep.

''It's difficult when you are only charging $35 per day and you add onto that heat and hydro and insurance costs,'' she said.