Comment
Times Colonist (Victoria) and Abbotsford Times
December 13, 2007

Linda Reid, B.C. minister of state for child care, visited Abbotsford last week and met with parents, including Brenda Methorst, who hasn't been able to find a child care spot for her child and was questioning her decision to go back to school.

Methorst said Reid shrugged off the problem, but the numbers can't be ignored. Abbotsford has 1,175 licensed spots for 7,000 children.

The stories coming from parents are most troubling. These people aren't facts or figures -- they are trying to raise their children and better their lives. The lack of child care affects them the most and no amount of sugar coating can remedy that.

Parents aren't making these problems up. They need more support from all levels of government. This situation needs to be taken seriously, not just simply shrugged off and swept under the carpet.