Childcare continues to be a need in the North
The Daily News (Prince Rupert)
April 3, 2009
By: Gary Coons, North Coast MLA

According to the last census more than 20 per cent of the population of Prince Rupert is under the age of 15. Rupert is one of the youngest cities in the province, and the number of childcare spaces here is woefully inadequate.

Safe, affordable, quality childcare is vital to the well-being of children and the peace of mind of their parents. The Campbell Liberal government has failed children, and failed parents by refusing to invest in childcare spaces.

In B.C. the average yearly cost of daycare is $6,400. That's a tremendous amount of money. Low-income families and minimum wage workers are simply not getting enough help to cover these costs, which contribute to the cycle of poverty.

Compounding the problem is the fact that early childhood education workers are paid very low wages which makes it difficult to recruit and retain workers in the field. This makes it even harder for communities like Prince Rupert to provide enough services for the families that need them.

Unfortunately, parents can't afford to pay daycare workers more, and the federal and provincial governments are not doing their part.

I have been working with other New Democrats to develop a plan for increasing access to safe, affordable and quality childcare.

I understand that investments in child care are necessary to grow our economy and build safe and healthy communities. Investing in child care would reduce costs in the long term for remedial and special education, criminal justice, and it would increase income earned and taxes paid.

The Campbell government is leaving too many children behind. Parents are left with hard choices, they can't afford to work and they can't afford to stay home. The result is children in unsafe conditions, being watched by friends and neighbors, who may be well intentioned, but who are rarely trained to provide the high quality care children need to succeed.