Families with kids...
The Daily News (Prince Rupert)
May 5, 2009
Opinion & Letters By: Daryl Mathieson

To the Editor,

Re: Minimum Wage, Childcare and families that have kids.

Children of all people are the future no matter what generation, so in all they should be the number one priority.

Campbell stated "literally all of what I've tried to do in public life is about children." If this was true he would not have let costs for child care increase. In 2005 Campbell promised to expand childcare and learning opportunities.

If this is true his idea of expanding was was to increase wages which nowadays has rose up $100 a month in the last year in most group licensed facilities across BC.

The average cost for childcare is $900 a month and can be as high as $1400. Let's make an example, someone working for minimum wage, with two kids, think how are they able to afford average childcare costs when it amounts to their rent?

Now if Campbell really was concerned, his government wouldn't have cut 40 million from annual provincial spending meant to benefit BC children in early stages of their lives.

Another reason I don't think what Campbell said is true is because he would have or be on the move to building new facilities and shortening wait-lists with the ones we have.

It's ridiculous to think parents are waiting two to three years just to get in, but then also worrying how to maintain payments with costs so high!

Right now BC has only licensed enough childcare spaces for just 12 percent of the provinces' children. What about the other 88% not getting that childcare and the impact it puts on early learning and growth, not just that but what about the impact it has on their parents?