Liberal MLA hinders day care bid; Mary Polak feels it is "not appropriate" to support a child care grant application
Langley Advance
November 20, 2007
By: Matthew Claxton

Langley MLA Mary Polak says she won't sign letters of support for local daycare funding applications, even as her fellow MLAs in Surrey do so.

… and her two sisters are planning to buy a local daycare and renovate it to add more spaces.

The … Child Care Centre, near … Elementary, is to be bought and expanded to create about 25 more spaces.

To pay for the renovations, … and her partners are applying for a major capital grant from the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

Getting such a grant involves meeting a number of criteria, but the guidelines also ask that applicants get letters of support from community members, including local government….

… said that she had friends in the childcare industry who have received letters of support from their MLAs….

… supplied copies of letters from NDP MLA Harry Bains of Surrey-Newton, and Liberal MLA Sukh Dhaliwal of Newton-North Delta, both in support of a major capital funding grant for the … daycare in the Newton area.

Since being turned down by Polak, … has also received a letter of support from Sue Hammell, the MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers and the assistant deputy speaker of the provincial legislature.

"As the MLA for Surrey-Green Timbers I would like to express the need for childcare spaces in the province," Hammell's letter reads.

"The … in Langley, B.C. is attempting to fill this need," Hammell wrote. "However, with 73 infants and toddlers already on their waiting list and more being added every month, it is imperative that they obtain some funding to further their endeavour."

The letter is addressed to the Ministry of Children and Families.

"It means a lot to me that she is for child care in B.C.," said….

Support from local MLAs is very significant in the process, said Hodgson.

The … have already spent a great deal of money on a business plan, and they have an agreement to buy the building, subject to licensing.

Before they received a letter from Hammell, Hodgson was worried that, without the support of an MLA, the funding would not be forthcoming.

The need for new childcare spaces should be supported by local MLAs, Hodgson said.

"I'm trying to find daycare for my daughter; she's three, and I can't," said Hodgson.

Polak said that, while any MLA can write a letter for of any cause and there is no regulation against it, she feels applications must be looked at on their merits. If the application is sound, it will succeed with or without an MLA's letter, she said.

She also noted that the request for a letter came in an unusual way: a pre-written letter was simply faxed to her office and she was asked if she would sign it.

"I have to say, that's the first time that's ever happened," said Polak.

A representative of the Ministry of Children and Family Development noted that it was not a requirement to get a letter of support from an MLA. Letters can come from parents or community organizations, as well. However, … owners are still looking to compile more letters of support. They are seeking letters from City Mayor Peter Fassbender and Langley MP Mark Warawa.