Clark wants city to foot the bill
Cariboo Press - Kelowna Capital News
January 9, 2008

The City of Kelowna is looking at providing free child care to municipal employees.

On Monday, a proposal from the community and women's issues committee went before city council calling for an investigation into whether the city could put up the space for a municipal day care which city employees using it would pay to staff.

But Coun. Barrie Clark decided to push the envelope one step further.

"The point was made that we wish the city to be at the forefront of this particular issue. Yet I hear today you think these services should be at the cost of the employees," said Clark.

Clark said he would be happy to pay into a city day care program as a municipal taxpayer, even if he never got to use it. He noted the city is more than willing to throw in a car and string of other fancy benefits to attract employees, so providing free day care is, to him, a logical step….

Every councillor in attendance backed the plans, saying day care is critical and that the situation in Kelowna is a crisis. However there was some discussion about a concurrent proposal to provide developers with the option to increase the density, or number of units they're allowed to build on a given property, in exchange for a commitment to build day care space into their plans.

Coun. Norm Letnick led the charge on that issue, noting several cities have adopted the density bonusing policy, including Vancouver.

"If you don't have children who have a place to stay and a place to learn at a young age, as they get older, it will start to be reflected in society," he said.

Letnick suggested the initiative be included in work the city has already hired a land economist to do on affordable housing, looking at whether density bonusing could be used as an incentive for developers to include cheaper, affordable housing options in their plans….

He suggested providing density bonuses in exchange for day care space may be problematic as it places unfair demand on those developing large, multi-family developments to also foot the bill for the day care crisis, while those working on large single-family housing projects, aren't asked to contribute.

The multi-family developer is not being unduly targeted, Letnick countered as it is the developer who is asking the city for extra leeway, saying the city is just suggesting a compromise.