60 after-school spaces to disappear in Stratford, raising questions about universal program
CBC
As a Stratford company moves out of providing spaces for before- and after-school care, opposition MLAs want to know what P.E.I.'s education and early years minister is going to do about it.
In the legislature Tuesday, the MLAs' questions focused specifically on plans by Milestones to close 60 spaces for before- and after-school care, with the company instead moving into offering child care for pre-schoolers.
Education and Early Years Minister Natalie Jameson said she heard the news Friday, and acted immediately.
She said she contacted the minister of finance and minister of workforce, advanced learning and population over the weekend.
"There has been a provider that has come forward with a request for modification to increase their space of capacity by 30 spaces in Stratford," she said. "Then there's another centre that has indicated that they would be able to take another 20.
"Let's keep in mind that this happened on Friday afternoon, OK? We're here Tuesday."
Liberal MLA Gord McNeilly said the closure highlighted the need for the government to move on its commitment to create a universal after-school program for Kindergarten to Grade 6. Jameson said a consultant was working on recommendations, and that report was expected in a couple of months.
"I'm glad the minister mentioned that you've engaged a consultant because that was in the budget last year," said McNeilly. "The consultant should have been engaged, ready, and we should have a plan by now — because right now we've got 60 kids who are out."
Interim Green leader Karla Bernard followed up on McNeilly's questions, saying the government's focus on creating early years spaces is causing problems for retaining equally necessary before- and after-school spaces.
"This all happened because of the government's desperate need for more infant spaces and its focus on child care for those under the age of five years," Bernard said. "One government policy is causing severe harm to another.
"Surely, the minister knew situations like this could and would likely arise."
Jameson responded that on child-care issues the government is "looking at this holistically," saying she understands the importance of early years care, as well as before- and after-school care.
She said all three types of spaces are "growing," and that the province will be there for the families who currently have spaces at Milestones.
The government's commitment to a universal after-school program dates back to immediately after the provincial election last spring.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
One person is dead and multiple others are injured following a multi-vehicle collision on Sunday evening.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed a decree on the country's withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention, which bans the production and use of anti-personnel mines, the presidential website said on Sunday.
Nearly four years after Calgarians voted in favour of reintroducing fluoride to their drinking water, the city is preparing to follow through on public support this week.
Forty years after its retirement as the industry standard bottle for beer in Canada, the stubby is being reinterpreted in an age marred by tariffs and American grievance — not as a cultural icon, but as a discreet way of protecting a national industry.
The streets of Toronto were filled with music, colour and rainbows as thousands people took part in the annual Pride parade Sunday.
When Rachael Coe decided to launch an "elbows up" merchandise line at her store in Yarmouth, N.S., in March, she said it was an immediate bestseller.
Yukon RCMP are investigating an incident that happened in the area of the Skky Hotel in Whitehorse over the weekend.
On Tuesday, millions of Canadians will celebrate Canada Day — an event that has taken on greater meaning this year following the surge of national pride in the face of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs.
A 27-year-old man is facing a first-degree murder charge after a deadly stabbing in Strathroy on Friday afternoon.
Toronto is set to install larger, more visible signage around speed cameras, but a safety advocate and some residents near a busy street say the cameras are necessary to keep people safe.
The first time Cindy Murphy walked through the doors of the John Howard Society was in 1992.
The days of baronets and baronetesses would seem a thing of the distant past, far removed from Nova Scotia.
With the prospect of a warm summer ahead, Mount Allison University biologist Vett Lloyd warns New Brunswickers to protect themselves from ticks, who have been on the rise over the past couple of years.