Building lease no child's play
The Free Press (Fernie)
February 12, 2009
By: Rebecca Edwards

Plans for an affordable daycare have reached a stalemate over a legal contract. Fernie Childcare Society hopes to set up not-for-profit, affordable daycare for up to 28 children aged from newborn to four in the former Max Turyk school, in Fernie's Airport area.

The school was acquired by the City of Fernie last year with the childcare society in mind and a planned Francophone school has also taken an interest in leasing another part of the school.

The childcare society has funding from the Province to renovate the building and open the daycare as early as September 2009 - but the funds will not be released until a lease is signed with the City.

However society chair Ronan Mac Con told City of Fernie council meeting on Monday that while he recognizes the lease is fair and proportionate the society cannot afford it and hope to provide affordable childcare while remaining viable.

He said: "This pains me greatly because no one more than me who wants to sign this lease. I can't sign it because it will imperil the childcare society for the future; it is irresponsible for me to sign it in the condition it is in."

The society is not concerned about the base rate rent of $14,000 per year, but about the variable costs of running the building which, under the terms of the lease, could rise to $33,000 a year.

Mac Con said while he understands the need for the city to recover costs of buying the school, he believes the project would act as an economic stimulus.

"We are in tough times; funding is being cut; I would like to see this as an investment in the future of the town from an economic standpoint. We hope to be tenants for 50 years….

"We are putting $143,000 capital from the province into that building immediately; we are improving the building for the city.

"It is going to create local construction jobs. We are going to give five local people childcare jobs.

"We are going to get parents to work. Right now there are people that want to pick up shifts but can't because daycare would cost a whole shift's pay, or they just can't make it happen.

"Affordable housing is on the tip of everyone's tongue - I believe this is affordable housing right in front of you - two people paying a mortgage because they can afford daycare is affordable housing.

"When council bought the building the estimations of costs were considerably lower than we have got. I believe cost recovery is a normal goal and we want to be part of that, but we are going to need some ideas to get this going."…